Freaking Adorable
by Kahoko-chan
Summary: GajeelxLevy multi-chapter fic.  Lots of things happen on the way to them getting together.  But will those things prevent them from getting together at all?  Rated T for now  Gajeel's mouth and some sexual situations.
1. Where Gajeel learns the meaning of 'Moe'

Hi everyone! Been a while since I posted anything (I'm doing a Skip Beat one too, but since SB! is making me angry at the moment, who knows when I'll finish it.) Instead, I offer you a Fairy Tail fanfic, centered on Gajeel and Levy. They're so freaking adorable, I had to. If they don't become canon, I'll scream. I'll scream loud enough for Mashima-sensei to hear me and change it. Anyway, here you go. When this thing gets going, there will be probably be a few outtake-style omake at the end of each chapter. I have some ideas, but nothing that really works for this first chapter.

Please Read and Review! Also, suggestions are welcome! Any funny or compromising situations you want to see these two in? Let me know! I'm not 100% sure where this is going yet, so I'm accepting ideas. And of course, you'll be credited. Thanks, and ENJOY!

Unfortunately, I DO NOT own Fairy Tail. Maybe I should appeal to Mashima-sensei to give it to me for Christmas next year. Probably won't work.

* * *

It had been a long mission; too long. Though he would never admit it aloud, Gajeel actually missed that crazy whack-job of a guild. Fairy Tail.

He and Pantherlily were on their way home from a month-long mission, the exceed half asleep on the dragon slayer's shoulder. They had fresh bruises, burns and lacerations; Gajeel's clothes were in tatters, singed on all the edges (as was Pantherlily's tail), and they smelled worse than any living thing should be allowed to smell.

Gajeel ruffled the fur on top of Lily's head and laughed his signature laugh.

"Stop it, I'm asleep," argued Pantherlily.

"Hell of a mission, huh?"

Lily sighed. _Of course he's excited. We almost died and he enjoyed every minute of it._

"If by that you mean we almost ended up in Hell, then yes. Now let me sleep. I deserve it."

Gajeel ruffled his companion's fur once more and continued down the main road toward the guild hall.

"Hi Gajeel-kun!" called a female voice from across the street. "We haven't seen you around in a while! Been on a mission?"

Gajeel stopped, dumbfounded. With wide eyes, he turned to the group of blonde women, all huddled together outside a shop. They were giggling and pointing, and one of them, obviously the one that had called out to him, was red as a tomato, blushing.

He didn't recognize any of them, though he had to admit he didn't know anyone from the town, or even half of his own guild mates. Well more like three-quarters of his guild mates. Four-fifths? Anyway, why were these women being nice to him? And so familiar! Or were they picking a fight? And wait…kun? Gajeel-KUN? What the fuck was that?

"Uh, yeah," he replied, still confused.

"Ah! Yay! He talked to us!" They all squealed in unison, one great girly shriek that hurt his hyper-sensitive ears. He wondered if that sound could make his eyes bleed. He decided not to risk it and hurried away from them.

When he was a safe distance away, Gajeel poked at Pantherlily, who was now fully awake and chuckling under his breath.

"Oi, what the hell was that all about?"

"Dunno," replied Lily. "Maybe they like you?"

"Oh shut up! That's not possible!" He turned his head, but he couldn't hide the slight pinkish tint on his cheeks from the cat.

Pantherlily chuckled again. And again. And didn't stop all the way to the guild hall. A such, they entered Fairy Tail in a squabble, Gajeel cursing up a storm and Pantherlily dishing it right back in between fits of laughter.

"Aww, how cute," said another female voice. This time it was Mirajane, serving a table near the front of the bar. "You two are just so adorable together."

Gajeel picked Pantherlily up by the scruff of his neck and stared directly into his eyes.

"So this is all your fault!"

"What's wrong, Gajeel?" asked Juvia, who was sitting at the table to his left, sipping the juice Mirajane had just brought her.

"Women are being nice to me, even out on the street, and it's the cat's fault!"

"How is it my fault, exactly?" asked Lily, his eyes full of annoyance. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Yes, Juvia does not understand either."

It was then that Levy McGarden interjected. She sat at the table to Gajeel's right, along with Jet and Droy, her ever-faithful watchdogs. From the moment Gajeel had entered the bar, Levy's eyes had been fixed on him, much to the dismay of the dogs, and now she couldn't keep quiet.

"Actually, Pantherlily, I think Gajeel might be right."

"See? The _**smart one**_ thinks I'm right!"

A soft blush tinted Levy's cheeks, but she continued, swallowing hard to keep from stammering.

"I've read about it. It's a phenomenon called 'Lovely Item'. It has something to do with a word called 'Moe', though that one's a hard word to define. 'Lovely Item' is basically when a group of perfectly rational women go crazy over something cute paired with something uncu…scary." She couldn't say Gajeel was 'uncute'. Not that he was particularly cute, either, but with the changes that had occurred in him since he had joined Fairy Tail, especially since he and Pantherlily had teamed up, she couldn't bring herself to call him 'uncute'.

"Cute? I'm cute?" scoffed Pantherlily. "I am a soldier! I have a scar across my face! How is that cute?"

In an instant, every head in the bar turned towards them. Even Natsu and Gray put their fight on pause to witness what was happening. Gajeel had fallen to the floor, laughing his ass off. The pain in his sides from his battle wounds was intense, but he didn't care. This was hilarious.

"It's so true though!" he thundered, and laughed even harder.

No one was quite sure what was happening. They had never even seen Gajeel smile, and now he was rolling on the floor with laughter. While it should have warmed their hearts to see a guild mate laugh so hard, it made most of them shudder. Gajeel and laughter didn't exactly mix. Especially since even though it was happy laughter, it sounded maniacal coming from him. Like he was reveling in the fact he was about to kill them all or something. They shuddered again.

The only person who joined in his laughter was Levy. She couldn't help thinking Gajeel was in fact cute when he was like this. Everyone in the guild shuddered for a third time at the thought of Levy enjoying the maniacal laughter. _It's always the quiet ones, isn't it_? they thought.

"Come on you stupid Dragon Slayer, let's get home. Let's leave all the nice guild people alone until you're sane enough to be out in public again," said Lily, pulling at Gajeel's collar. When he didn't budge, Lily mustered up the last of his strength to transform into his original form, and dragged the iron dragon out into the street.

"Levy," said Jet and Droy in unison, after everything had calmed down again. "Don't encourage that guy. He's insane."

"What? Oh, come on, it was cute, and you know it," she argued.

"Levy, he was laughing maniacally. Like he probably was after he knocked us out and nailed us to that tr…"

"Jet, be quiet. I told you I was over that. He's a comrade now. Don't mention that again, do you understand me?" Levy's eyes were full of malice. Jet and Droy nodded quickly, in fear of their lives. Sometimes, she was just as scary as Gajeel.

Levy smiled cheerfully now that she was sure they understood, and jumped out of her chair. "I'm off to the library," she said sweetly, and practically bounced out of the bar.

Jet and Droy swallowed hard, unsure why they felt like drinking a lot of alcohol all of a sudden.

* * *

So how was it? Next chapter will involve more actual interaction between our two main characters. Also, depending on how far I get with this one, there may be some citrusy action in much later chapters. We'll see where my mood takes me, and how the story unfolds.

Till next time!


	2. Where Levy makes a surprise visit

Okay, so last time I forgot to mention the timeline. This takes place after Gajeel gets Pantherlily (obviously), but before the S Class exams. Since that arc isn't finished in the manga yet, I chose to pretend that it doesn't exist. As cute as it is, for the purposes of this, please also pretend it doesn't exist.

As always, please Read and Review. I got a wonderful idea in my one review so far that spawned a crazy awesome plan in my head. Be prepared for the start of that next chapter.

Unfortunately, I STILL do not own Fairy Tail. If I did, it'd be about Gajeel and Levy.

* * *

It had been two days since Gajeel and Pantherlily had returned from their long mission, and no one had seen them at the guild hall since Gajeel had been dragged out by his collar. Everyone just assumed they were resting up after the mission (they had looked a little broken up after all), but Levy was worried. She hoped that her explaining 'Moe' or calling him scary hadn't embarrassed or upset them to the point they wouldn't show their faces again. She decided she should go check on them, and maybe bring a peace offering with her.

"Mira," she said, approaching the bar. "Do you know where Gajeel lives? I think I might have upset him the other day."

Mira smiled sweetly, though on the inside a devious plan was already formulating, and told the script mage the directions to Gajeel's.

Levy thanked her and left the guild hall, walking slowly towards her destination. She needed time to think about what she should say, how she should apologize. She may not be completely afraid of him anymore, but she knew he had a real temper when he wanted to, and if he was already mad at her… For a moment, she considered skipping the visit altogether. She didn't want to start trouble. But she steeled herself and found her courage, deciding that if he was that mad about something he himself had laughed at, he could just go kiss a pig.

Levy arrived at Gajeel's small house before she realized it. She stood in front of his door, shivering with anticipation. She had in her hands a small block of iron made of the letters that spelled it, having decided during her journey that it would be an appropriate peace offering. Slowly, she raised her hand, preparing the knock on the door, but before she could knock, the door flew open, and in the doorway stood Gajeel, shirtless, with bandages flying loosely all around his waist and chest and arms.

"Short stuff, what's up?" He looked down at her hands, eyeing the iron. Unconsciously, he licked his lips.

"I, uh…"

"Well, come inside then. I'm hungry."

Had Levy not been carrying the iron, that comment might have been misconstrued. She smiled nervously and entered the house, waiting for Gajeel to shut the door before she ventured in too far.

Outside the house, four ears belonging to two watchdogs heard "I'm hungry" and _did_ misconstrue its meaning. They had begun following her after she had performed the magic to create the iron, and had been too worried to realize her hands were clasped in front of her with something in them. They looked at each other in horror and scrambled out of the bushes and up to the window for a better view of what was happening inside.

Levy followed Gajeel into his living room. It was sparsely filled and not decorated at all. In the center of the room was an old couch, which he had obviously gotten second- or third-hand somewhere, and a small metal table, which she assumed he had just made himself. He had a single shelf, which was built into the wall as part of the house, but she was happy to see that it had at least a few books on it. She skipped over to it to see which they were.

"Of course that's what you notice first. What a bookworm."

"Be nice Gajeel," warned Pantherlily. Gajeel plopped on the couch and held still while Lily continued his sloppy job of patching up Gajeel's wounds.

"So why are you here?" asked Gajeel, looking over at the tiny mage. She turned to him, and the nervousness on her face struck nerve. He thought she had gotten over this. He hadn't smelled fear on her in at least a month, but here it was again, however faint.

"I, uh…I wanted to make sure I didn't offend you the other day," she said, all in one breath.

"Offend me? How?"

"I called you scary, and I…"

"I am scary," he said bluntly. "Don't know what I'd do if I wasn't. Now, are you going to share that food with me, or are you trying to strengthen your skinny little arms?"

Levy looked down at her hands; she had totally forgotten that she had brought him a gift.

"Oh, of course, sorry!" she chirped, handing it to him. "I brought it as a peace offering, but I guess you weren't mad after all."

Without another word, Gajeel chomped down hard on her gift. It was delicious. He had never eaten iron she had created through her solid script magic before, but now he realized he was going to have to ask her to make it for him again sometime. It was free of impurity and perfectly smooth.

_Just like her_ he thought, before quickly shaking that idea out of his head. Why was he thinking things like that? Must be the blood loss. He still wasn't one hundred percent recovered.

A stinging pain suddenly broke his line of thought.

"Ow, Lily, that was your claw. Watch out."

"This is hard to do with these tiny hands, you moron. Deal with it."

"Um," began Levy. "I can help if you want. I've had to patch up Jet and Droy a bunch of times."

Gajeel chuckled. "I bet you have."

"Now be nice," she warned, "or I won't help you at all."

Gajeel wasn't sure whether he'd rather be nice and get properly bandaged, or continue to be himself and have to deal with all his injuries getting worse. He finally decided to give in to the tiny mage, and shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Good, now hold still."

Levy took the rolled bandage from Pantherlily and unwound what was already in place on his body, since it was done so badly. She cut it so she had fresh linen to work with, and she reached around him and began to work the new bandage around his stomach, moving her way up to his chest. She was only vaguely aware of just how close she was to him, concentrating on her work, but Gajeel noticed immediately. This was the first time he was able to notice some of the small details of her.

First, she smelled amazing, like flowers and pine. Second, she was _really_ tiny. Even as both of them sat, her head still only came to his shoulder. And third, she was actually kind of beautiful. She wasn't like the other girls in the girl or in the town. She wasn't as busty, though her hips and backside certainly made up for that, which he found quite agreeable. And she had a lightness to her frame that made her seem fragile, though he knew from experience that she certainly was not. She had survived being nailed to a tree after all. He shivered at the thought of what he had done to her.

"Sorry," said Levy suddenly, having felt the shiver. "Did I hurt you?"

He shook his head and she continued her work, moving from his chest to the many wounds on his arms. _How ironic_, he thought. _That she should ask if she hurt me just as I was remembering how I hurt her._

Levy finished bandaging him up soon after and she excused herself, saying as a farewell she was glad he wasn't angry at her. He muttered his thanks and she ran off towards her dormitory in a much better mood than she had expected.

Pantherlily, perched on the back of the couch, had watched the pair of them in silence. He had watched his socially awkward friend glance frequently at the script mage, and he had watched as Levy in turn had glanced at Gajeel when she was sure his head was turned. He couldn't be sure if there was a mutual attraction yet, or if the two of them were just trying to figure out what to say to each other.

Either way, he knew where this was going. He needed to consult the master of the romantic setup. He needed to talk to Mirajane.

* * *

Let the plotting commence! Lily has a bit of an evil streak in him, I think, and we all know Mirajane does.

Till next time!


	3. Where Gajeel tries to fit in

Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed and encouraged me! Now I REALLY want to keep writing this! This chapter is kinda goofy, but I think that's necessary, especially since I want to keep this one light. Levy and Gajeel are so damn cute, I don't know if I can bring myself to do anything truly horrible to them. :)

Anyway, please read and review, and tell me honestly if you absolutely hate something. Also, this chapter may have Gajeel being a bit OOC (That it TOTALLY a joke. If you read the chapter, you'll understand. And then you'll say 'Oh Kahoko-chan, such a goof').

Also, prepare for a short omake after the chapter!

* * *

Lily flew home happily. His plotting session with Mirajane had gone surprisingly well and very quickly. She, after all, had been plotting for two days behind everyone's back. Lily wondered at her immense power; she was able to give him so many ideas, some of which sounded kind of evil, in such a short time. And all with a sweet smile on her face. Lily mused that there were probably scary eyes and a malicious smirk behind that serene face, and secretly prayed he never saw it. The women in this guild were freaks.

At home, Pantherlily found Gajeel still passed out on the couch, bandaged neatly. He smiled at Levy's handiwork and then pounced on the iron dragon's forehead.

"Wake up scrap heap," he said. "We've got work to do."

"Mhmph," muttered Gajeel, opening his eyes lazily. He yawned, groaning at the same time, and forced himself upright. "I thought we were taking a break from missions for a while."

"It's not a mission. Different work."

"Hm?" Gajeel asked, still trying to wake up.

"We're going to turn you into a normal boy!"

"Huh?"

* * *

Gajeel was pissed. Lily had transformed and jumped him before his eyes had fully opened. Now he sat, tied to the couch, while the cat flitted all around him, brushing his hair, washing his face, and polishing his piercings.

"Leave me alone, cat! Damn it!"

"Be quiet Scrap Metal," retorted Lily, adopting another one of Natsu's many insults. "This was ordered by Mirajane. You don't want to defy Mirajane, do you?"

Gajeel gulped. No. No he did _not_ want to defy Mirajane. He sat very still, though he still mumbled a slew of obscenities under his breath, and let Pantherlily finish his grooming routine.

"So Mirajane thinks you need to fit in better. She says to clean up your image you need to look less scruffy and you need to start acting like the rest of the guild members."

"Hmm…"

Gajeel thought about that for a moment, wondering how exactly to go about fitting in. He had never really fit in anywhere he had ever been, except when he was with Metalicana. But since he really did like Fairy Tail (secretly), he knew he really should try to make it happen. He wasn't going to be nice or anything, I mean he still didn't care for most of the mages in Fairy Tail, but at least they didn't have to hate him anymore. Scared of him, sure, why not, but not hate.

Then it hit him. _Perfect! This has to work!_

Later that day, everyone's heads turned to the doorway as Gajeel entered the bar. The women's eyes popped out of their heads and their cheeks turned pink, and the men just felt like they wanted to throw up. Gajeel stepped forward in only his black, iron-studded boxer shorts and sat down directly across from Natsu.

"Um…Scrap Heap? What's up?"

"Fire Jerk, let's fight!"

"Well, yeah. Duh."

Natsu jumped onto the tabletop and Gajeel followed suit. They sneered at each other and punched and kicked and bit.

"Hey," said Lucy to Mirajane and Happy, who were both nearby. "Does this seem familiar to you?"

"Lucy, Natsu and Gajeel always fight," said Happy. He stuffed a fish in his mouth and ate it happily.

"I know, but it's not that. I mean, why is Gajeel in his boxers?" She blushed. "And why is he only angry at Natsu today? Usually he's mad at everyone."

Mirajane, Happy and Lucy stared at the fight as Natsu and Gajeel bruised and burned and pummeled each other. And suddenly, it clicked.

"He's acting like Gray!" they screamed in unison.

"But why?"

Mirajane sputtered out a laugh, but stifled it quickly. She knew _exactly_ what was happening. That silly dragon slayer was more adorable than she thought. He was taking her advice literally, acting like a specific guild member instead of 'the rest of the guild' in general. Mira chuckled and gave Pantherlily a look of pity.

Lily watched from the other end of the bar, his eyes not on Gajeel but on Levy. At first, her face had turned bright red (a _very_ good sign), but now she had turned away. Lily was pleased to see that she was turned in embarrassment instead of disgust, for her cheeks were still tinted pink, but he didn't like having to wonder whether it was embarrassment due to her innocence (Gajeel _was _almost naked after all) or embarrassment at his idiocy.

Lily had had enough. He had known from the start that Gajeel's crazy idea was going to turn things stupid. It was time to try again. In a flash, he transformed, split up the two combatants, and dragged Gajeel out by his hair, since he didn't wear a shirt that had a collar he could grab.

"Well that was messed up," said Jet, after they had left.

"No joke," responded Droy.

Levy just sat there, confused and embarrassed, and thinking about just how built Gajeel was.

* * *

Throughout the day, Gajeel made several more appearances, always as a different Fairy Tail member. He raved about manliness and beat his fist on things (as Elfman); he walked around smugly and flicked his hair a lot (as Freid); he carried a gun and wore a poncho and a hat (as Alzack); and tried to pick up all the women, which never went over well (as Wakaba).

Word got around quick and soon everyone in the guild was in the bar, waiting to see if Gajeel would impersonate them. After a while, he had exhausted all the male members of the guild, and had begun to move onto the women. Most of the women were not happy about this.

It was only when he entered wearing red-rimmed glasses and holding a small pile of books that he got any sort of good reaction. It was exactly the opposite of his true personality, but in some twisted way, it seemed to suit him.

"See, now that's cute," said Mirajane, approaching Levy.

"That he's being me?" she asked. She was enjoying his rendition of her, as he flitted from table to table, being sweet and innocent.

"It just works. I bet you two would look really _adorable_ together! Like you fill the gaps in each other's personalities."

"Mira!" Once again, Levy turned bright red. She threw her hands up to her face, trying to hide it, but Mira just laughed and walked away. Jet and Droy looked at each other nervously, and made a silent vow to keep Levy occupied any time Gajeel showed up. Their little friend was getting too interested.

Across the hall, Gajeel looked up just as Mira spoke to Levy. He couldn't hear what was said, despite his amazing hearing, but Levy's sudden glance at him and her bright red face sent a small wave of happiness through him. He wasn't smart enough to realize why it made him happy, but he just knew it did.

* * *

OMAKE:

Gajeel entered the bar, impersonating his first woman. It was Lucy. He walked in wearing a pleated mini-skirt and a bikini top. Atop his head was a long blonde wig, tied up in a side ponytail. At his side was a keychain and a whip, and on his feet were a pair of brown, knee-high boots that he couldn't lace up all the way.

"You!" called out Lucy, her face red in anger. "Those are _MY_ actual clothes, aren't they!"

Gajeel looked around, feigning innocence. Lucy knew there was no way Gajeel had broken into her house to steal her clothing; he might be scary but he wouldn't do that. She only knew one person who would.

"NATSU!" She rounded on him, jumped on his chest, knocking him over, and began to beat him senseless.

Gajeel ran in the other direction, vowing to give back the clothes when Lucy wasn't home.

* * *

Tee hee. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. I am trying to post a chapter a day, but we'll have to see how much time I have to do so. Next chapter starts a little bit more romantic-ness and less of the silliness.

Till next time!


	4. Where Gajeel is kind of a jerk

You guys are awesome. I am loving the reviews and the encouragement. I'm glad the third chapter was well-received. I wanted to do something ridiculous before the real meat of the story starts, and since Gajeel has a weakness for Pantherlily, I figured, why not make him do everything the cat says.

Okay, so two chapters today. I am surprised at myself, but i am really enjoying writing this one. As I said last time, things are less silly in this chapter, but I think it still works. Hopefully you all will too.

As always, red and review please (and thank you). And because i probably forgot to mention it last chapter, I DO NOT own Fairy Tail (damn).

Omake after the show.

* * *

"So that didn't work. Don't worry about it," said Pantherlily. It was the day after Gajeel had impersonated all the members of the guild, solidifying in their minds that he was indeed insane (as if the singing on stage just after Fairy Tail was rebuilt hadn't already done that).

"I give up," said Gajeel, fuming. "I will _never_ fit in with those freaks. I'm starting to think that's a good thing."

"But what about Levy?"

"The bookworm? What about her?"

_Stupid boy_, thought Lily, smacking his forehead in disgust. _You're a dense one aren't you? Time to move on to Mirajane Plan Two, I guess._

"Listen, Gajeel, this is how the next two days are going to go…"

Lily proceeded to detail a mission Master Makarov had set aside for the iron dragon slayer (well, one Mirajane had asked him to set aside). Gajeel listened quietly, liking the sound of it; so far he had heard 'bad guys', 'beat them up' and 'set fire to their hideout'. But then he heard something he wasn't so sure about. 'Take Levy with you'.

"Why her? Can she do kung fu or something?"

"She's the one that gets to set fire to the hideout," replied Lily. "She can use her magic to help you too, I'm sure. There might be enchantments around the hideout. You know she's good."

Gajeel had to admit that was true. During Fantasia, he had been so impressed with her ability to break Freid's rune traps, that he had actually complimented her. And when she had run into the cathedral and yelled at Laxus…well, the girl had some balls, for sure. Figuratively, of course.

"All right, I'll take her. But I will _not_ take the two idiots that follow her around all the time."

"Mirajane's got it covered," said Lily slyly. That Mirajane thought of everything.

Gajeel made his way to the guild bar that afternoon, a small bag of necessities and iron snacks packed. He entered the bar amidst a flurry of whoops and hollers and a round of applause. He snorted, and ignored them and made his way to the table farthest away from everyone else.

"Everyone, stop it!"

Gajeel looked up and saw tiny Levy standing on a table, yelling at her friends. They shut up immediately. She had a face to which you couldn't say no.

Levy hopped down from the table and strode confidently towards Gajeel, everyone's eyes following her swift movement. She plopped down onto the bench across from him and stared directly into his eyes.

"Are you ready to kick some butt?" she asked. She looked really excited.

Gajeel snorted. "Always."

"Let's go then," she said, smiling widely.

They stopped briefly at her table to collect her things (more things than she could possibly need for a two-day mission), which mostly ended up in Gajeel's arms, and headed out. It was still early spring, but the weather was warm and the sun shone brightly, not a cloud in the sky. It was a good day to start a mission, even Gajeel had to admit. He glanced sideways at his companion. As always, she was wearing a long orange shirt with detached orange sleeves and black pants. She looked cute in it, but Gajeel also remembered her old outfit (yellow bikini top, blue vest, and Capri pants rolled up above her knee), and lamented that she never wore it anymore. And then he remembered why. And then he looked away.

"What's wrong?" asked Levy. "You seem nervous or something."

"Nah," he murmured.

_**Something**__ is wrong_, thought Levy.

"Are you mad you had to take me along?"

Gajeel stared at her incredulously. "Why aren't you mad you had to come with me?"

"What?"

"Do you even remember what I did to you just a couple months ago? It's why you hide your stomach now, isn't it?"

Levy blushed and turned away, slowing her pace ever so slightly. Gajeel could see her lip quivering and her eyes begin to water, though she never actually cried. He felt like he had been punched in the stomach. Groaning, he ran his fingernails across the back of his scalp in frustration.

"Look, sorry, all right? If you don't want to come with me, you don't have to."

She looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes. They were the eyes of a purely innocent person. No one else in the world could make eyes quite like that.

"You don't want me to come along?" she asked.

"I didn't mean it like that, I just…if you're more comfortable staying behind…"

"I _want_ to go with you," she interrupted. "You helped me that time Laxus attacked, so now I want to help you."

"Even after what I did to you?"

"It's in the past," she said, though Gajeel could hear just a tinge of uncertainty in her voice. "Don't bring it up again. We're even now."

"Mhm." Gajeel knew that wasn't true. It could _never_ be true. He had chosen her because he thought she was weak and because he knew he'd get the biggest reaction from the guild if he hurt _her_. If he had known then what he knew now about her, though, he would have never laid a finger on her. She was soft and small and had moments of fragility, but she had a resolve and magnetism that were second to none. And when she wanted to, she exuded an aura of strength and focus that no man could shake.

"Where are we headed?" asked Levy, eager to lighten the mood. She could see the dark clouds forming around Gajeel and didn't want to spend two days with him if he was going to be like this.

"It's a forest outside Hargeon. We'll take the train, and then we'll walk a few miles to get to a central location within the forest. We'll set up camp and go out bandit-hunting."

"Camping? But you didn't bring anything to sleep on."

"There's plenty of dirt in the woods," he replied.

"And for a pillow?"

"I'll pull up a nice cuddly tree root. Does it matter how I sleep?"

"No, I guess not, but…"

"Don't bother with it. If I don't care, you shouldn't.

She nodded meekly. Gajeel sighed inwardly; he was being too gruff with her. Pantherlily had warned him about being a jerk before he had left the house, and here he was, being kind of a jerk. Things were not going as well as he would have hoped.

Levy sighed inwardly too. She wanted to get to know Gajeel better, since she seemed to be the only one who spoke up for him in the guild. She wanted to know what he was like in his unguarded moments, what he was thinking when his face turned sour, like it was now. She hoped she could be of some use to him, and change his opinion of her. But she understood that no matter how much she wanted something, it didn't always happen. Not unless she fought for it. For Gajeel's esteem, she was willing to fight.

* * *

OMAKE: What Pantherlily told Gajeel before he left...

"Now listen to me," said Lily, forcing his friend to focus on him. "You have to repeat after me, okay?"

Gajeel nodded.

"One: I will not be a jerk to Levy-chan."

"I will not be a jerk to Levy-chan."

The cat nodded and continued. "Two: I will protect her if things get out of hand."

"I will protect her if things get out of hand."

"Three: I will not make lewd jokes, chew with my mouth open, or refuse anything she offers me."

"I will not make lewd jokes, chew with my mouth open, or refuse anything she offers me."

"Very good," said Pantherlily. "You're all ready to go then. Get your bag, make sure you pee before you leave; you don't want to have to make a pit stop and leave her all alone somewhere."

"Thanks mom, I'll do just that."

Pantherlily smacked Gajeel, and then stormed off. On the inside though, he was smiling. _My little boy's all grown up and fighting bandits with his girlfriend._

_

* * *

_awww, Lily would make a funny mom. Anyway, hope you liked it.

Till next time!


	5. Where Levy realizes something good

So here's chapter five. Thank you all again for your wonderful reviews and encouragements. All I can hope is that I can indeed 'keep it up' as many of you have asked.

This is another serious chapter with a few bits of funny thrown in. It does advance the relationship between our hero and heroin just a little bit though, so please look forward to that!

I DO NOT own Fairy Tail, though I am planning a hostile takeover of Mashima-sensei's house in the hopes of getting it from him as a ransom for his CD collection. (kidding all you FBI types that take that kind of stuff seriously). No omake this time, but there definitely will be next time!

* * *

The train ride was quick, and their short walk was spent in quiet. After their previous exchange, they didn't know what to say to each other.

They set up camp in silence, Levy setting out her sleeping bag and pillow, while Gajeel built up wood for a fire. The sky above was darkening quickly, the day becoming night, and if his plan was going to work, they needed to have a fire up by the time the sky went black. He hadn't explained yet what he meant to do to draw out their prey, but since a lot of the plan involved surprise and shock on Levy's part, he had decided not to. As soon as Levy's solid script magic set fire to the woodpile, Gajeel set his plan in motion.

"All right, short stuff. During the fight tomorrow, you just stay back. I'll only need you if we come across some enchantments."

"Trying to protect me?" she asked sarcastically.

"No. I just don't want you getting in my way." If this hadn't been part of his plan, he would've smacked himself.

"Excuse me?" she asked, suddenly channeling her inner strength. "I'll be in the way?"

"That's right. I'm the one that's doing the fighting."

Levy popped up off her sleeping bag and stomped right up to Gajeel, who was sitting on top of an uprooted tree, warming his hands over the fire. She dug her forefinger into his shoulder, actually forcing him to sit up straight. He was shocked, but he quickly made his face look angry instead, fueling their fight. Instead of searching for the bandits, he was drawing them to him with the sounds of their infighting.

"You're being a jerk, you know! What do you mean I'll be in the way? I may be small, and a girl, but I can be useful, damn it!"

Gajeel had never heard her swear before, and her tenacity, her readiness to fight back, almost made him laugh. Levy caught the slight upturn of his lips.

"Are you LAUGHING at me now?"

"And if I am?"

"Screw you, you stupid iron idiot! I'm going to sleep!"

She stamped her feet across the dirt, purposely kicking up dust as she walked back to her sleeping bag. With a flourish, she slipped under the top layer and turned away from Gajeel with a 'hmph'. It was only then that Gajeel cracked a crooked smile. That was perfect. He wasn't sure if she could've argued so well if he had let her in on the plan. And now, he just had to wait.

An hour later, their fire had died down to cinders. Gajeel's eyes were good enough to see in the dark anyway, and the fire had only been to give the bandits their precise location. Gajeel was fully awake, listening with his amazing ears for the sounds of footsteps. And then he heard them.

As quietly as possible, he stood and moved to Levy. He put his cold hand on her neck, and shook her gently to wake her. As hard as he could, he tried to keep the fact that she was so soft and warm from the front of his mind and tried to focus on the upcoming fight.

"Hmm…"

"Shh. Wake up bookworm. They're coming."

Levy shot up in her sleeping bag, almost pummeling Gajeel in the chin with the top of her head.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

"Thanks to your brilliant arguing skills, the bandits found us, just as planned. Get ready for a fight, bookworm."

Levy blushed and was glad it was dark enough to hide it. So the fight was fake after all. Deep down she had hoped so. She thought that she had made some headway lately with Gajeel, what with visiting his house and fixing up his wounds and all.

Gajeel bent down and grabbed some of the papers from one of her bags and handed them to her, along with her pen, so she could perform her magic.

"Let me do most of the fighting. Stay back and shoot off some fireballs or lightning or something flashy. When I've knocked them all out, we'll tie them up to a tree or something and let the local soldiers take them in."

"All right," she replied.

"Then get ready." He glanced at her briefly before he took off into the woods towards the footsteps.

Levy was all alone now, but she wasn't afraid. Nothing would happen to her if Gajeel was around. She was confident of that. After a moment, she heard some yelling and some laughter (the yelling from the bandits who were being pummeled into the ground, and the laughter from Gajeel, who was doing the pummeling), and she relit the campfire so she could see. She didn't want to hit Gajeel by mistake.

Gajeel systematically beat the small pack of bandits senseless, transforming various limbs into iron to reach the ones who were trying to run in the opposite direction. Levy, too, flung fireballs at the ones he couldn't reach, earning her a 'hell yeah' every time she dropped a bandit. It took less than five minutes to round up the group of fifteen of them. Levy used her magic to make steel cables to bind fourteen of them to a tree, feeling a dreadful sense of familiarity as she did. Gajeel kept one of the bandits separate from the rest; he had picked out the weakest looking one (the one most likely to divulge all the bandits' secrets).

Happily, Gajeel began to poke and prod and threaten the beaten bandit, while Levy looked on with a smile. Gajeel certainly did like to torture things. It was like it was his hobby. Levy had her books, Gajeel had his wanton destruction.

"Short Stuff, let's go! Mr. Talky is gonna show us where the hideout is."

"The hideout that I get to set on fire?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes my dear," he said with a grin on his face. Clearly he hadn't realized what he'd said; he was in a good mood, still on a bit of a high from the fight. Levy blushed furiously into her palms, glad the dark hid it. She followed him as he pushed the bandit forward in the direction the frightened man pointed.

After a half an hour of traipsing through the pitch black forest, using Gajeel's eyes and the bandit's knowledge of the terrain to see, they reached the edge of a large encampment. About thirty bandits were visible outside, reveling around various campfires, with unknown numbers still inside the tents. Most of them were drunk off their asses; it looked like this was going to be an easy fight.

Without ceremony, Gajeel knocked out his captive, and had Levy bind him to another nearby tree. He looked at her seriously, his many piercings shining in the light of the campfires and he smiled. It wasn't a smirk, it wasn't a grin, it was a pure and simple smile. He was gone before Levy could react, bounding off into the bandit camp, howling like a madman.

Levy stood there in shock, unable to get the image of his smile out of her mind. In that moment, he had been gorgeous and kind and real; he had been the man she knew was hiding deep down beneath all the layers of crap that had built up over the years. He had been everything she had ever wanted in a man, and even though it was only for an instant, she realized then that she would be willing to deal with a lot of his crap, because deep down, _he was that perfect man_.

_It's too bad he'll never feel the same about me. How I wish that was possible._

_

* * *

_

Thanks for reading! Please review, even if you hated it. I can handle criticism! Next chapter starts up some of the funny again. I am hoping this is going to be a really long story, because so far the only really long GajeelxLevy I've seen is in French, which means I can't understand it. Japanese would be one thing, but I can't do French.

Till next time!


	6. Where there are some innuendos

Chapter Six! So here again begins some of the funny, and some of the awkward (or, a lot of the awkward, rather). I hope you enjoy this one, since it's taken me longer than usual to write. It's sort of an in-between important things type of chapter and those are always hard to write.

Anyway, I DO NOT own Fairy Tail and probably never will. Okay, definitely never will.

Omake after the chapter!

* * *

Levy woke the next day in her sleeping bag. A fire had been lit; she could feel the flames warming her, despite the early morning chill. She sighed softly, a little sore from sleeping on the hard ground, but perfectly content.

"You awake?" asked a gruff voice nearby.

"Yes," she said, sitting up slowly. She stretched and yawned and looked sleepily over at Gajeel. The iron dragon sat on the ground, propped up against the uprooted tree, with his arms crossed. He didn't look too happy.

"Are you all right?" she asked. "Is something bothering you about the fight? Or about the soldiers that came in and stopped us from setting fire to the encampment. If anything, _I_ should be the one angry about _that_."

"Hmm," he snorted. He was indeed upset that he didn't get to see her light fire to those flimsy canvas tents, but that wasn't what was really bothering him. Gajeel looked over at Levy and saw that she was smiling. Broadly. Evilly.

"Gajeel…"

"What?" _Oh no_, he thought.

"Are you, by any chance, cold and uncomfortable?"

"No," he said indignantly. "Shut up!"

Levy laughed, that bright, brilliant laughter that seemed to define her.

"There's always the sleeping bag," she offered.

Gajeel shot a surprised look at her. Was she really offering him a spot in her sleeping bag? Did this crazy little girl realize that she had just propositioned him to sleep with her? Well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad, but…

By the time he had regained some sense of reality, Levy was standing in front of him, a sleeping bag much like her own proffered to him. He sighed, inwardly wiping the metaphoric sweat from his forehead. She had brought a spare. No wonder she had so many bags.

"No thanks, Bookworm. We should get going back to town anyway. We've got to report to Makarov that we succeeded."

He stood and lightly brushed her aside, walking towards the fire to collapse the wood and put it out. Levy's mood fell, disheartened by his apathy, but she didn't want to spend the entire day in a funk, and so shrugged it off.

* * *

Four hours later, after much walking and train-riding, and even more walking, Levy and Gajeel were back at the guild hall. Jet and Droy had swarmed Levy as soon as she entered, leaving Gajeel to report to Makarov alone.

"Levy, thank God you're back! We were so worried about you! Did he hurt you?"

"Calm down, guys, I'm fine. We had an easy mission. I didn't even have to dispel any enchantments or anything."

"But you're all dirty," argued Droy.

"Well, I was in the woods."

"And you've got cuts and bruises," said Jet.

"I was in a fight," she said matter-of-factly. "Can't help small injuries. Now look, I'm going to head home and have a shower, and I'll tell you all about it later, okay?"

Jet and Droy nodded, but weren't happy. Usually after missions, the three of them would sit and reminisce and laugh about everything, no matter how spent they were. It was very strange that she should want to go home so badly. They were worried that something had happened that she wasn't telling them.

"Oh, by the way," said Levy, turning around. "You guys weren't around to protest before I left. Where were you?"

Jet and Dory looked at each other and the color drained from their faces. They began to shiver violently as visions of Mirajane danced in their heads.

"Don't ask. Please…just don't ask…"

Levy shifted slowly away from them, backing out of the guildhall, worried that any sudden movement might freak them out even further. What had happened to them?

Gajeel left the Master's office and flopped down at the bar. Mirajane came around and brought him a giant tankard of beer, sensing he needed it. He grunted his thanks.

"Tough mission?" asked Mirajane.

"Just the opposite. Too easy." He took a long swig of his beer, chugging it down.

"Did you have fun with Levy-chan?"

Gajeel looked confused. "Was I supposed to?"

Mirajane sighed. So shoving the two of them together on a camping trip didn't work. It was no matter, really; she had many other plans. But still…

"Oh, is that the bookworm's bag?"

"I think it is," said Mirajane. "I'll save it here for her, behind the counter."

"S'okay, I'll take it to her. I'm going that way anyway." Gajeel gulped down the last drop from his tankard and scooped up the bag, flinging it over his shoulder. He trudged out of the bar, muttering to himself.

_Well maybe it went better than I thought._ Mirajane smiled as she washed Gajeel's tankard.

* * *

Levy was in the tub, enjoying a soothing, lavender-scented bubble bath. She was sighing a lot and blushing every time she thought about Gajeel's smile. Why was that single moment working so hard to stay fresh in her mind? She had been asked out before, many times in fact, and she had even thought she liked a few men in the past, but never had any of them done anything that made her weak in the knees. Never had any of them shown a truer part of himself when she least expected it.

Levy sighed again, shut her eyes and sank into the water, beneath the bubbles.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door to her apartment. She perked up in the bath, and when the knock came again, she jumped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself, expecting it to be Erza or Juvia or someone else who wouldn't care. She tracked damp footprints across the floor. Reaching the door, she began to turn the handle, but at the same time, the water on her feet went to work, and she slipped.

As the door opened fully, her butt hit the floor, knocking the towel loose. In slow motion, the towel cascaded to the floor around her and she stared up at the person in the doorway.

It was Gajeel.

"Um…Bookworm?" He had a vibrant blush across his cheeks that was spreading to his entire face.

Levy squeaked the shrillest squeak ever squeaked by a human and slammed the door in utter embarrassment.

_OH MY GOD!_

_

* * *

_

OMAKE: (What Jet and Droy did with Mirajane)

They were running, sweating, and scared out of their minds. They had never faced a tougher opponent. It belched flames and smoke at them and was resilient against both of their types of magic.

The oven in the kitchen behind the bar was on the fritz again. Mirajane had asked them to fix it, then clean it; they hadn't even managed the fixing part, and they were already burned, bruised, cut and covered in ash. If this was what Mirajane meant by a nice, easy mission (one they wouldn't need Levy to complete), they didn't want to think about what she called a hard mission.

An hour later, they had fixed the damned contraption, but their spirits were broken. They vowed to avoid Mirajane whenever Levy wasn't around from that moment on.

* * *

Hope you liked it! As you can imagine, the next chapter is going to be full of awkwardness and funnies.

Till next time!


	7. Where Gajeel stays for tea

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! I hope this is a fitting present for everyone! And if not, too damn bad! :)

I DO NOT own Fairy Tail. Also, please read and review, as always. It's all the super awesome reviews that keep me wanting to write this one!

* * *

"Come on, Bookworm, let me in! I told you I didn't see anything!" _Lie_, he thought as he wiped the last of the blood from his nose.

"No! Go away!" Levy panted heavily, her face deep crimson, her mind replaying the scene from ten minutes before. He had seen her naked. _Gajeel_ had seen her _naked_!

Gajeel growled a low, guttural growl. "Fine, I'm done with this." For a moment, Levi thought he was leaving and she sighed in relief. "Gather up your towel Shorty, I'm coming in!"

"What!"

Levy scrambled away from the door, clutching her towel to herself, just as Gajeel beat it down. It hit the floor inside the apartment with a satisfying thud.

"You jerk! I could've been hurt!" Then she surveyed the damage. "And you broke down my door!"

"You should've let me in." Gajeel stepped into the room and picked the door back up, setting it against the door frame like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"What are you even doing here!"

"I came to return your bag to you, the one you left in the bar," he said calmly, trying hard not to stare at anything below her neck. The towel was short, very short, and hugged her slim frame, especially at her hips. Her skin still glistened with bath water, and he could smell the lavender on her. Her presence was intoxicating.

"Gajeel?"

"Anyway," he said, snapping back to reality, "how can you yell at someone who's trying to help you? It's not my fault you answered the door in a towel. Who does that?"

Levy opened her mouth to speak again, but nothing came out. She couldn't argue with what he said; it was the truth after all. With her head hung a little bit, she apologized.

"I'm sorry Gajeel. I just…"

"Look, I don't mind either way, but you might feel more comfortable with some clothes on," he interrupted, turning his head away slightly. His patience for ogling only above the neck was wearing thin. His hands were itching to start grabbing.

"Oh, crap!"

Levy bounded out of the room and down the little hall to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She locked it too, just in case.

"Have a seat!" she called. "I'll be right there!"

Gajeel smirked at her hasty exit and plopped down on her couch (after he removed a large pile of books). Her room, he noticed, was nothing but books. Every wall from floor to ceiling was lined with shelves, which in turn were stuffed full of books. There wasn't a single empty space. Not only that, but it seemed that she had run out of space a while back, because books were piled up everywhere across the floor, on tabletops, on the couch; everywhere. Gajeel wondered if her bedroom was the same.

"Would you like some tea?" asked Levy, coming out of her room, drying her hair with the towel. She wore a light yellow sundress with a little white sweater over the top that just covered her bust. It may not have been entirely appropriate for the season, but it was beautiful and suited her coloring perfectly.

"Not your usual outfit, eh?"

Levy blushed. "Um, no, my other clothes are in the wash. They had forest all over them. Tea?"

"Oh, sure, I guess," he replied. He couldn't remember ever drinking tea before. His usual beverages were alcoholic in nature.

"Black, green, white, red or herbal?" she asked.

"There's colors?"

"I'll choose then," she said with a soft smile on her face. Now that the awkwardness was over, she found herself enjoying his company. It was rare that she had a man in her room, and even then it was either Jet or Droy. Gajeel looked entirely out of place in her crazy apartment, but it was nice to see that at least he didn't look uncomfortable.

Levy decided to brew a strong cup of Darjeeling; since she didn't drink alcohol, it was what took the edge off. She served it and sat down next to him on the couch, it being the only other available seat in the cluttered room.

"How do you like the tea?"

"Stronger than I thought it'd be," he replied, swirling it around in his mouth. "Kind of takes some getting used to."

"That's what I like best about it." She smiled, and Gajeel felt there was some deeper meaning behind the exchange; he just couldn't put his finger on it. Whatever it was, though, made him feel at ease. A sense of relief washed over him.

"Thank you for taking the trouble of bringing my bag to me," said Levy suddenly.

He nodded. "It was heavy. What've you got packed in it?"

"Books mainly. I brought them in case I needed to dispel any enchantments on our mission. You said I might have to, so I wanted to be prepared."

"You carried that through the woods? You're stronger than you look," he said in slight amazement. He guessed the bag weighed nearly one hundred pounds, which was probably about what Levy herself weighed. Gajeel pinched at her arms. "Too damned skinny to carry all that," he said.

Gajeel only let go when he realized Levy's face had turned beet red and she was determinedly staring anywhere but at him. He cleared his throat and let go of her, brushing his rough fingers across her soft skin as they fell away, trying for one last touch.

"I should probably go," said Gajeel. "Lily will want me to take a bath."

"I think we all want that," she mumbled playfully, still embarassed.

"Hmph. See ya later Bookworm."

He handed her the cup in his hand, drained of its contents, and gave a small wave as he walked away through the doorway (still door-less) and down the hall. Levy couldn't help smiling. Sometimes love finds you in the strangest places, and no matter what their past consisted of, Levy knew now she could love no man but that crazy iron dragon slayer. The way she felt when he was around was so different from anything she had ever felt and infinitely more special and personal. She was _absolutely_ in love. And she had no idea what to do about it.

* * *

No omake this time, since it's 3 in the a.m. and I need to be sleeping. Next chapter starts a new arc (of sorts), so please look forward to that!

Till next time!


	8. Where there is dinner and a cliffhanger

Well, I hope everyone had a great New Year's Day! This is a tiny bit longer than normal, and it would have been longer, but I do so love cliffhangers. :)

As usual, I DO NOT own Fairy Tail, nor will I ever. Mashima-sensei doesn't return my calls. Please read and review! I love getting reviews! They're the highlights of my day!

Short omake after the chapter.

* * *

Mirajane knew exactly why Levy sat at the bar, playing with her food with her fingers, sighing a lot and staring at nothing. However, she liked the idea that you don't get something in this world without offering something else in return. She wasn't about to offer her advice for free.

"Levy-chan, you're bread is getting soggy," said Mirajane, staring at the sandwich on the counter.

"Huh? Oh, sorry Mira-san." Levy picked at the sandwich, eating tiny bites of it, still distracted.

"Levy-chan, are you all right? You seem troubled."

"Mira-san…I need some advice," said Levy mournfully. She looked up at the bar-mistress with wide, sad, puppy dog eyes. Hers were the best in the guild, but Mirajane wouldn't give in to them. Mira had a resistance to puppy dog eyes.

"Advice, dear? About what?"

"I think I'm in love," whispered Levy.

"Yes, dear. With whom?" Mirajane's face was smiling like always, that kind, almost motherly smile that made those who didn't know her intimately feel safe with her. On the inside, however, her grin was wicked. She knew the answer, but she wouldn't get her gossip-rush unless Levy said it herself.

"Um…don't say anything to anyone, but…um…Gajeel." She said the iron dragon's name even softer than the rest of her words.

"Oh how cute! I thought it might be him!"

"Mira-san! Hush!"

"OH, sorry dear, it's just very exciting! Now, what kind of advice do you need? Have you confessed yet?"

"Confess? No! I can't do that! I just need to know how to be around him without getting fluttery," said Levy hurriedly.

"Then my advice is this. If you don't want to be all fluttery, you have to feel more comfortable with him. And the best way to do that is to be around him more."

"Okay. So maybe I'll sit closer to him when he's at the bar," said Levy.

"No, I mean intimately."

"Intimately?" Levy blushed.

"I mean that you and he need to do things together."

"Like missions?"

"Well, that might help, but I meant taking walks, or going out to eat, or visiting each other's places."

"Well, we have been to each other's houses," said Levy.

"Well, that's a good start then. Now, you should ask him if he wants to go to dinner," said Mirajane. Or even better, you should cook him some dinner!"

"Cook him dinner? Isn't that…"

"It'll be fine," said Mirajane reassuringly. "Just tell him it's in thanks for something, and he'll be more than happy to join you." She smiled cheerfully and walked away to help Gray and his constant shadow Juvia at the other end of the bar.

At that moment, as if on cue, Gajeel walked out of Master Makarov's office with a sour look on his face. He stopped for a moment, looking around, and only continued on when he found Pantherlily, sitting by himself at a table close to Levy. He trudged over and threw himself onto his chair.

"A new mission?" asked Lily. Gajeel just nodded. Lily could tell it was a big one; one that would be dangerous.

"Gajeel?" asked a small voice behind him. The dragon slayer sat upright and turned to Levy, who stood there sheepishly, unable to make eye contact for more than a second at a time.

"What's up Bookworm?" His mood brightened unconsciously when he spoke to her.

"I um…was wondering if you wanted to um…come over for dinner tonight," she said, lucky to get all the words out without running away in embarrassment.

"You cook?" he asked.

"Um, a little. I have a lot of cookbooks, after all."

Gajeel only had to think for a moment. "Sure, why not? It'll be nice to have a last meal."

The significance was lost on Levy, who was too nervous to notice anything but the 'sure'. It was not, however, lost on Pantherlily. It seemed to echo his previous thought that this next mission would be very dangerous.

"Um, then I'll see you at six-ish?"

"Fine, Short Stuff, I'll see you at six."

Levy bowed awkwardly and ran out of the guild hall, overjoyed and nervous and full of about fifty other emotions she didn't even know had names. She ran all the way home, remembering every recipe she had ever looked up, trying to pick the perfect meal. What did you feed a dragon slayer whose favorite food was iron? Well, besides iron, of course.

Back inside the bar, Pantherlily eyed Mirajane, whose smile at her accomplishment was quite overpowering. She toned it down when she saw the worry in Lily's eyes, and instead gave the cat a rather sweet, reassuring smile. She knew what the master had tasked Gajeel with, and even though it would be very difficult, if tonight with Levy went as well as she hoped, Gajeel might just have a reason to try harder and to come home.

Levy was abuzz in a flurry of motion, dancing around her kitchen, putting the finishing touches on each of the three courses she had prepared, when there was a knock on the door. She squeaked in excitement and nervousness and opened the door.

Gajeel stood there, a full foot and a half taller than her, looking down with his normal stoic face.

"You've got some batter there," said Gajeel, reaching out towards her face. With his forefinger, he wiped it off her cheek, by her mouth, and licked it off his fingertip. "Mmm, tasty."

He walked in, leaving Levy about to faint at the doorway.

"Um, sit down here," she said, regaining her senses. Levy pointed at a chair by the dining room table. She moved the stack of books that was on top of it and pulled out his chair for him. "Food'll just be a second."

"Take your time," he replied, looking around. She had cleaned a little bit, making the piles of books more even, and dusting everything; he could still smell the fresh scent of cleaner in the air, despite the amazing smell of the food.

"And done!" Levy said excitedly from the kitchen. She came into the dining room carrying a large bowl of salad (which she assumed would be only for her), a large plate of steak (which she hoped he would enjoy), and a smaller plate, upon which sat a loaf of fresh-baked bread.

"You have enough hands for all that?" asked Gajeel, reaching for the plate of steak, which was teetering on her upturned forearm. He set it in the center of the table.

"Thanks," she said, setting down the final two plates. "Dig in!"

Gajeel automatically took four of the five steaks on the plate in front of him, but waited for Levy's nod of approval before tearing into them.

_He saved one for me,_ thought Levy with a smile. She dug into her salad, pouring some vinaigrette over it.

"Is it any good?" she asked, looking up. Then she laughed. All four steaks were gone. "You're more than welcome to the last one too," she said.

"You sure?"

"Of course! I made the salad for me anyway."

"Thanks." The last steak was gone in less than five seconds. Gajeel then moved onto the bread, eating about half the loaf in under two minutes. Levy had only managed three mouthfuls of salad.

"That was pretty good, Short Stuff. I could get used to eating like this." Levy smiled at the contented look on his face.

"Well you're not done yet," she said. "I've got one last thing for you."

Levy jumped up and darted back into the kitchen, where his final surprise was waiting. Gajeel tried to peek into the kitchen, but he couldn't see past all the books between the dining room and it. But when Levy returned, he felt his heart miss a beat.

On a small plate of its very own was a cupcake. It was made of iron; he could smell it. On top of the solid iron cake part was melted iron in the shape of swirled icing. He was salivating in anticipation.

"I hope you like it," said Levy.

To her surprise, Gajeel got out of his chair, took the plate from her and set it down at his place at the table. Suddenly, he scooped her up into his arms and hugged her tight, completely forgetting himself in his excitement.

"Um…"

He set her back down hurriedly. "Sorry, Bookworm. Got caught up in the moment." He looked down at Levy; she was so close to him, her scent overriding even that of the iron, which had always been his favorite. Her face was turned to the floor, but she didn't back away.

_Oh, shit,_ he thought. _I probably scared her, like that time I…_

"Gajeel?"

"Um, yes?" His heart was racing, his cheeks heating up uncontrollably.

Levy looked up, her strong eyes meeting his. At that moment, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

"Gajeel, I love you."

* * *

OMAKE: How Levy decided what to cook for Gajeel.

Levy was perched on her couch, gale-force glasses on her face, hurricane-ing her way through a giant stack of cookbooks.

_Hmmm...Pilaf? No, he wouldn't eat that. Miso soup? I'd eat that, but maybe not him. Scalloped potatoes? That's a maybe, I think. Oh! Here's that great steak marinade recipe! I'll make steak! But what else? Bread, definitely, and salad for me. And for desert? Hmm...I can't really see him eating pie or cookies. They're a bit too dainty for him. Maybe not cupcakes, either. Well, now wait a minute..maybe if I..._

And after a few minutes of working with her magic, she wrote the perfect string of words to make the perfect desert for her perfect man.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed it! If you're confused as to what the 'new arc' is that I spoke of in the footnotes of last chapter, the whole Gajeel's mission thing is what it is. Starting next chapter, Gajeel leaves for a while, and I am going to switch back and forth between him and his mission and Levy and her troubles (which will be many). I may throw in another couple, too, which'll make Levy just a bit upset, as you might guess.

Till next time!


	9. Where the atmosphere changes

This chapter was written quickly, so if it sucks, I'm sorry. I just had to get it out! Anyway, kinda serious this time around. Next chapter, though, will lighten the mood a bit. I can't take heavy for long.

As always, I DO NOT own Fairy Tail. Please read and review! I am happy so many of you are enjoying this, but I would never know it without your wonderful reviews!

* * *

Levy was choking herself, stabbing herself, and setting herself on fire inside her own mind. _How could I just come out and say it like that!_

She and Gajeel were still standing across from each other, their bodies so close they were almost touching. Levy couldn't bring her eyes up from the floor, and Gajeel couldn't take his eyes off of her. The tiniest, meekest, most beautiful, _normal_ girl he had ever met had just confessed to him. If he hadn't fully realized his feelings before, those three simple words forced him to realize them now.

Truly, he loved this girl, in a way he had never loved anyone. He longed to take her by the shoulders and lift up her chin and tell her he felt the same. It was the strangest feeling, wanting to be with someone, wanting to hold someone. And as much as he wanted to experience it, he knew he couldn't. Not now. And if his next mission didn't go well, maybe not ever.

"Levy," he said as softly as his deep voice would allow.

_He said my actual name. Oh no._ Levy felt safe when he used his nicknames for her.

"Levy, I'm sorry," he said. "I can't."

"It's fine," she replied with a sad smile on her face. She still couldn't look him in the eye. "I expected that. I didn't even expect to confess just then, actually." She laughed nervously.

Gajeel lifted his hand to her face, but before he could caress her cheek, she turned away, scurrying into the kitchen to get away. She didn't trust her eyelids to hold back the tears for much longer.

Gajeel followed her, but stopped outside the closed door to the kitchen.

"Levy, I know you probably don't want to hear this right now, but it's not that I don't like you, okay? Tomorrow I have to leave for a long mission. It's a dangerous one. I wasn't going to say anything, because I assumed no one would care enough if I died out there. But apparently _you_ do care. So I'm letting you know now. I might not come home from this one. But I have to go. It's part of my penance for what I did to you and your two watchdogs and to the guild. I want to go, so if I make it back, I can face you having paid back some of my debt to this guild and to you. So goodbye," he said. "And thanks for the dessert."

Levy didn't come back out of the kitchen until she heard her front door close. Her face was splotchy, pale and red, and glistening with her tears. She sobbed in silence as she locked the front door, and continued to do so as she cleared the dishes and washed them. She sobbed as she showered, the tap water washing away the salty tears. And she sobbed as she sat in bed in the pitch black, unable to fall asleep.

He had spoken more in that moment than he ever had before in his life, she was certain. He said he didn't hate her, and though he was brusque with his language, he said he wanted to right the wrongs of his past, including how the wrongs done to her. He had rejected her in the gentlest way possible, though she couldn't help but hope there was still a chance.

She didn't realize then that that tiny glimmer of hope would be what drove her crazy over the next four months.

* * *

Gajeel and Pantherlily left early the next morning, stopping at the bar for only a moment to get some food for the road.

"Any messages to leave for Levy or anyone?" asked Mirajane.

"I said enough yesterday," he grumbled. Pantherlily slipped Mirajane a folded sheet of paper before he and Gajeel left. Inside it were the details of the night before, which Lily hadn't even had to torture Gajeel to hear. Lily wasn't the type to gossip, but Levy was sure to come into the bar sometime soon, and he wanted Mirajane to be prepared for her mood.

Levy did in fact come into the bar a few hours later, Jet and Droy tagging along, asking her repeatedly what was wrong. She had taken to ignoring them when her first several 'nothings' were ignored.

"Levy-chan!" called Mirajane. She waved the solid script mage over to the bar. Jet and Droy got nervous quick and booked it in the other direction.

"Thanks Mira-san," said Levy. It broke Mirajane's heart to see how down Levy was; she used to be the bubbliest of them all.

"Levy, I want you to come to Juvia's apartment tonight. We're having a party." Mirajane had arranged that earlier after Juvia had come to her, worried about Levy. Juvia wasn't a dragon slayer, but her ears were pretty good, and Gajeel wasn't exactly quiet.

"I don't think so, Mira-san. Not tonight. I'm not in the mood for a party."

"I know you're not, but that's exactly why you need one."

"It won't be anything fancy," said Juvia, suddenly appearing by Levy's side. "Juvia is worried about Levy-chan. Juvia thinks Gajeel is an idiot."

"Ah," began Levy, "he's not an idiot. I assume you heard him yesterday." Juvia nodded. It figured; their apartments were right near each other's. "He said it all for a reason. He doesn't hate me, but he doesn't like me enough to return my feelings."

"Gajeel is a private person," said Juvia. "Juvia has never heard him talk so much about himself. Juvia thinks he likes you more than enough." She nodded reassuringly.

"Thanks Juvia. I guess I'll see you tonight then."

Levy left the bar, in a worse mood than when she had entered. _People are taking pity on me now. Great. I guess I should stop walking around like a zombie._

* * *

Gajeel sat next to Pantherlily on the train out of town. His arms were crossed across his chest, his head rested against the window. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't asleep. He couldn't sleep.

"You should have told her," said Lily.

"No. I did what was right."

"How's that?"

"Shut it, cat. I don't want things to be harder on her if I don't come back."

And that was all Gajeel said on the subject, though his mind was full of it. This was going to be a _long_ mission.

* * *

Like I said, a bit heavy. I probably won't edit this, though I feel like I want to. I just want to get into the meat of this 'arc'. I know how I want to end this story, and I am trying my darndest not to end it too quickly.

Till next time!


	10. Where Levy hugs a lot of people

Here's another one. And I'm sorry to say, this is the beginning of the end. Don't get me wrong, there will be more chapters (how many, I'm not sure), but at least more than three. But fear not! That just means I can start on a new one!

I DO NOT OWN Fairy Tail. Please Read and Review. As always, your reviews are SO important to me!

Also, just to refresh your mind about the timeline for this story, it takes place just before the S-class exams in the manga. So, basically, Gajeel has Lily, and there's a new group of council members in charge of the magical community. That becomes important in this chapter.

* * *

Levy loved Lucy to death, and that night at the party, she remembered why. Privately, Levy had told Lucy what had happened with Gajeel, and though Lucy seemed shocked at first (she assumed Levy just had a little crush, not a full-on love), the first thing she said was: "Fight for it. Believe with all your heart he'll come back safely, and fight for your love."

Levy attacked her best friend with a hug. She knew Lucy had never really taken to Gajeel, much the same as the rest of the guild, so to hear such encouragement from her really reinforced their friendship.

The girls (Levy, Lucy, Juvia, Mirajane, Erza, Bisca, Lisanna and Lucky) spent the night playing card games, talking about their recent missions or about their love-lives and binge-eating all manner of cookies, candies and cakes. Sometimes a girl just had to let go, and Mirajane made some of the most amazing sweets on the planet. By the end of the evening they were all sick to their stomachs, but Levy was feeling much better. She had even managed to get Lucy to admit she liked Natsu. She had worked on Mirajane for a confession about Fried but Mira was too sharp to fall into that trap.

Levy's mind was free of worry until she was across the hall, alone in her own room. It was then her brain took over again, and everything the party helped her forget came rushing back.

"Damn it," she sobbed, overtaken suddenly by tears. "Damn it!" She flung her face into her pillow and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

A few days later, deep in a forest halfway across the map, Gajeel and Pantherlily stalked their prey.

"Finally tracked them down, Gajeel?"

"Yeah. Got a good whiff about three miles back. We'll catch up if we run."

"Roger that!"

They sped up, Lily flying as quickly as his little wings could flap.

"There's seven of them," said Gajeel. "Seven distinct, disgusting smells."

"We don't smell so great ourselves," said Lily, sniffing at his arms.

"We smell woodsy. It's charming. They smell like rot and death."

"Not so charming."

Gajeel chuckled. "Keep up cat! I want these idiots dead." _I want to get back home._

_

* * *

_

Levy awoke to dry skin. Her tears had evaporated to salt on her cheeks and closed up all her pores.

_All this crying might be good for my skin,_ she thought to herself, choking back the urge to start crying again. She had come to a decision a few nights ago, during the cake-parade: though her love-life was in the crapper, she wasn't going to make everyone else's regular lives miserable. She wouldn't wallow in her sorrows any longer. It was past the time for tears.

She got up and dressed and left Fairy Hills, headed for the guild hall. After a few minutes walking on the main road, she started to hear footsteps. From either side, Jet and Droy flanked her, linking their arms with hers.

"Hi guys!" she chirped. "I haven't seen you in ages! What's been going on?"

"We went on a mission just for kicks," said Droy. "We taught some school kids about the different types of magic."

"Aww! That sounds like it was fun!"

"Not really," lamented Jet. "One of the kids kicked my shin."

"And one of them drew on my face with a marker when I fell asleep during recess," said Droy.

Levy laughed; she was truly glad to see her two best friends. She would need them in the months to come.

"All right you punks," said Jet, "let's go get some breakfast!"

"Heck yeah!"

* * *

Mirajane slid three plates to the Shadow Gear team with a smile.

"Feeling better Levy?"

"Were you sick?" asked Jet and Droy in unison.

"A little sniffly," she replied, glancing at Mirajane, who just smiled sadly in return.

"So boys," began Mirajane, "my oven's been acting up again. You want to take a look at it…oh they're gone. Too bad."

"Mira-san…"

"Sorry, Levy-chan, I had to. The Master wants to talk to you."

"Then shouldn't all of Shadow Gear be there?"

"No Levy, he wants to talk to you about Gajeel."

"Has something happened?" Levy's eyes grew wide, began to water.

"No, don't worry," said Mirajane, putting her hand on Levy's shoulder. "Master just wants you to know what's going on. He thinks you deserve to know."

"That doesn't sound like something the master would think," said Levy.

"I might have leaned on him a little bit."

"Mira-san, you're awesome!" Levy threw her arms around Mirajane's neck, surprising the older woman.

"Now, now, it's all right dear. Just go see the Master."

Levy nodded and scurried off towards Makarov's office. She had only been in there a few times, and never for very long. It seemed like a typical office (desk, shelves, lamps, etc.), except that behind the big desk in the center of the room sat a tiny little old man wearing a funny hat.

"Yo, Levy-chan," said Makarov. "Have a seat." When she did so, he continued. "I hear there was some commotion between you and Gajeel the other day."

"Yes sir," said Levy. "Not a commotion, really, just…"

"You don't need to explain. Mirajane already has."

"I see…"

"I am only telling you what is going on because I know you can keep a secret. You might be the best in the guild at that," said Makarov. "Gajeel is following a lead passed to me by one of the other guild leaders. There's some corruption in the upper ranks. As in the new council members."

"Gajeel is confirming that fact?"

"Yes. And taking down as many of them as he can once he's sent me proof."

"By himself? He's out there all by himself?"

"It's what he wanted. Besides, if we sent Natsu or Gray, the mission wouldn't be secret anymore, and if we sent Erza, she'd insist on Gray and Natsu accompanying her. Gajeel is good at his job, Levy-chan. Don't worry yourself too much. He'll be back before you know it."

Levy nodded, holding back tears. "Thank you sir. When _you_ tell me not to worry so much, I actually do feel better."

"Good, good. And when Gajeel sends me word, I'll let you know. He's been ordered to update me once a week."

"Oh, thank you sir!" And Levy threw her arms around Makarov too. The old pervert blushed.

* * *

"All right boys, you've got one chance each to tell me what you know. I am not above killing you in some pretty depraved ways. I'm good at acts of depravity. So I'll ask you first, Blondey. Who is in charge of your sect?"

The seven men Gajeel had been chasing were caught. Gajeel had them bound together in a line on the ground. He stood in front of them, pacing like a general before his troops. Lily stood off to the side, leaning up against a tree. He picked at his claws, removing the dirt and blood and bits of rock from the skin around them. He was tempted to pick the twigs out of Gajeel's long mane.

Blondey didn't answer. Instead, he spit at Gajeel's feet.

"Blondey's a bit of a dumbass, it seems. Lily, what do you think? Sharp or blunt?"

"Your choice. I'll pick next time."

"Sharp it is," said Gajeel, staring down Blondey. The dragon slayer's arm transformed into an axe blade. "Too bad Blondey, I was hoping this one would be easy." _I want to get back home._

_

* * *

_I hope you liked it! Gajeel is kinda mean in this one. :) If he seems a little OOC, I'm sorry. I was trying to build on the relationship he has with Pantherlily in the manga, where the cat is the only one he can be easy with. I liked the idea of Gajeel and Lily having this hilarious repartee.

Anywho, Till next time!


	11. Where there is a great deal of worry

This was a hard chapter to write. It's super late, but I really want to keep up with the chapter-a-day deal (or as often as possible). Anyway, this one's a little funny and a little depressing, but the good news is I have decided I am going to keep this story going for a bit, either under this name, or as a sequel once this one is finished. We'll see what I decide to do in a few chapters.

I DO NOT own Fairy Tail. Please Read and Review. I just had the nicest, most awesomest review ever tonight and it made my day.

No omake again, mainly because it's super late and I super need sleep.

* * *

Gajeel had gotten the information he wanted from the second of the seven men he had captured. Blondey had been the only idiot. Baldy, as Gajeel called the man who had spilled his guts, had put him onto the trail of a dark guild outside Oak Town that had managed to keep itself hidden, even from Phantom Lord, which was situated at the center of that city. They called themselves Shadow Omen, which Gajeel thought sounded silly and unnecessarily foreboding.

"Going home then, eh?"

"Home?"

"Oak Town. Didn't you belong to a guild there?"

"I never considered that place a home," said Gajeel. He walked leisurely, his hands behind his head as he and Lily crossed the bridge over the river near Oak Town. If there was indeed a dark guild there, they'd be hidden in the deep forest that surrounded the city. Even Phantom Lord avoided that freaky forest.

"Are we going into town at all?" asked Pantherlily.

"Nah. No reason to. Haven't got any ties there anymore." And it was true. Juvia was at Fairy Tail now and he had never been close to anyone else. "Let's go. If I get a little closer, I should be able to smell them."

"And if Baldy lied to you?"

"Then we get him out of prison and kill him." _I'm tired of chasing leads. I just want to get home._

_

* * *

_

Levy had sent the last week dropping hints anytime she was near Natsu or Lucy. She was determined to get her two friends together; she could see it in their eyes and their unconscious devotion to each other that they were meant to be. And she figured someone in this guild ought to be happily in love.

When the hints hadn't really worked, she had finally had enough. It was lunchtime at the bar and Lucy and Natsu sat with Gray, Erza and Happy, as per usual. Levy asked to join them, and Lucy welcomed her happily, glad to have intelligent conversation for more than a minute before it all devolved into a big fight.

"So Natsu," began Levy, taking a small bite of her sandwich. "When are you going to ask Lucy out?" It was then that Levy wished she had waited till Natsu swallowed.

The fire dragon spit a whole mouthful of fire chicken out across the table, singeing everyone else's food (and Gray's eyebrows). His face turned bright red, as did Lucy's. Gray looked like he was trying to picture the two of them together; he was making a sour face. Erza seemed unphased.

"Yes Natsu, I have been wondering that myself," said the armor wizard.

"R-r-r-r-really Erza?" asked Lucy, turning from red to crimson.

"It seemed an obvious outcome," replied Erza. "Throw two adorable young people together, throw in some danger and some sex appeal, and you have a happy couple. I'm rather surprised it has taken this long for the two of you to come together."

Levy was impressed. Erza was much more in tune with her emotions (and devious) than previously believed. Lucy spent the rest of lunch staring at her food, though she didn't have the stomach any more to actually eat anything else. Natsu, too, spent lunch concentrating on his food, though not even a stomachache would have kept him from finishing every speck on his plate and then ordering more. Levy was proud to notice, though, that the fire dragon kept glancing furtively at her best friend. He would look for a moment, then turn away in embarrassment, then repeat.

The seeds were sewn; soon they would grow.

* * *

Gajeel was bleeding. Badly.

He and Lily had taken down the entire dark guild after searching three days for their hideout. There were thirty members inside the building when they arrived and within an hour, there were thirty bruised and broken and mostly unconscious bodies stacked up outside in the dirt. Gajeel had saved their leader for last, which he now regretted. Lily had been too worn out by the time they got to him that he hadn't been able to help, and the leader, a tall, raven-haired man, had been tougher than his slight frame and translucent skin tone suggested.

At last, he had taken him down, and had even gotten some unexpected information from him involving one of the legal guilds and the council member under suspicion. He had yet another lead to follow, but legal guilds being involved meant more chance for the truth to come to light, and more chance that everything would be resolved quickly.

The only problem was, the lead involved Phantom Lord. And not just Phantom Lord, but Master Jose himself. Master Jose, who was taken down by Makarov.

"Fucking great," lamented Gajeel upon hearing this news. "I didn't want to have to deal with this crap."

"Gajeel, we should take a rest. You need to heal up for a couple days, especially if we're going to fight Jose. I've been told about him," said Lily, putting his hand on Gajeel's shoulder. The dragon slayer shrugged it off and stood up slowly, grunting and groaning as he did.

"I gotta do this now, Lily. If I don't, I'll never get back home."

"You really miss her, don't you?"

Gajeel's answer would have been too quiet for a normal person to hear, but Lily had animal ears, he heard the one word reply. Pantherlily smiled.

_Thought so._

_

* * *

_

Levy had heard from the Master every week for a month about Gajeel's progress. She was glad to know he was doing all right and making quick work of the mission; well, as quick as could be expected when considering the scope of the mission. But each letter brought news of him moving deeper and deeper into danger, and each week's report brought more and more fear into Levy's heart.

And then there were no more letters. Two weeks passed, then three, then a month, then two. Even the Master was worried, though he would never admit it. Levy went every day to Makarov's office, spent her nights awake, worrying, couldn't eat more than a few bites at each meal.

Jet and Droy tried to cheer her up, but to no avail. They tried to take her on missions, hoping that focusing her mind on something else would alleviate some of the worry, even if it was only for a few days. Nothing seemed to work. Even the news that Lucy and Natsu had finally started dating had only distracted her for a few hours.

The only thing that would bring her out of her stupor was Gajeel's return. And who knew when (or if) that was going to happen.

* * *

Yay, ending on a depressing note! worry not dear readers, there will be cheering up and word of our favorite dragon slayer next chapter.

Till next time!


	12. Where Levy sleeps off 4 months of panic

This was a fun chapter to write! PROGRESS is made! I hope you like this one!

As always, please Read and Review. Also, I don't own Fairy Tail. But by now, you all know that.

No omake this time, but I am thinking about one for next chapter.

* * *

Month four of Gajeel's absence had just begun, which made it three months since they had received word from him. Even the rest of the guild members were worried. Natsu and Lucy had proposed a search party, while Juvia, though worried, tried to talk everyone into believing in Gajeel.

"Juvia has known Gajeel for a while. Gajeel will not die so easily." And then privately to Levy: "Levy-chan, please do not worry. Juvia promises Gajeel will come back."

Her sincerity was welcoming, but it wasn't until Wendy spoke up that Levy realized she had been worrying for rather than believing in Gajeel. Of course, she was allowed to be worried; anyone would be. But she was worrying to the point that it was worrying everyone else around her.

"Levy-nee," said Wendy, approaching her with Charle at her side, "Gajeel-san is super tough. In Edolas, I got to see what he can do. I don't think we have to worry too much." Wendy smiled brightly, her youth and innocence being overshadowed by the maturity of her words.

"And besides," said Charle, "that Pantherlily wouldn't let any harm come to him."

Levy smiled for the first time in a long while. "Yes, you're right. You're absolutely right! Thanks Wendy, Charle!" Levy bent over and hugged the smaller girl and the cat. She walked happily towards the door, about to head home for a long soak in the tub to relieve the tension in her shoulders, when a man's voice stopped her.

"Levy-chan," said Master Makarov from the doorway to his office. "Come here."

Levy froze. Was this news? Was it good? Was it bad?

The solid script mage obeyed and was ushered into the office by Makarov, the eyes of everyone in the bar following her. Once the door was shut, everyone piled up outside it, hoping to hear some fragment of what was being said. All they managed to hear, though, were each other's shush noises and yelps of pain as they stepped on each other for a better listening spot.

"Levy-chan, have a seat," said Makarov solemnly. Levy's lip had began to quiver in nervousness. This had to be bad news. It _had_ to be. Makarov would have been happier if it was good news.

"Master, what's the news?"

"There is good and bad in this, I'm afraid. The good first, since I see you are about to faint." Levy nodded, gripping the arms of the chair in which she sat. She was indeed about to fall over. "Gajeel has completed his mission. Word has come through the ranks that three new council members have been removed from their positions, and one of them has been thrown in prison for their dealings with Master Jose and several dark guilds."

"Jose, as in Phantom Lord?"

"Yes. After we defeated him, that branch of Phantom Lord was disbanded, but he found his way into some dark stuff. There was talk of him and some of the council trying to resurrect Zeref. Jose has since been found dead. We can only assume that was Gajeel's handiwork."

"Then there's been no word still?"

"No, Levy-chan. And that's the bad news. We still don't know where Gajeel is. He hasn't reported in, he hasn't been spotted by the spies I've sent to watch the roads through all the towns from oak Town to Magnolia. He's off the radar, so to speak."

"Do you think he….that he's…"

"Dead? No. Someone would have found him by now. And we cannot forget about Pantherlily. Surely if Gajeel hadn't made it, Lily would have flown back to us."

"So there's still hope…"

"Of course. There's always hope."

Levy began to cry; it wasn't the best news, but it was better than she imagined it would be. She stood and bowed deeply to Makarov, leaving him alone in his office.

Outside the door, she saw the huge pileup of mages and was about to laugh at them, knowing what they had been up to, until she realized all their backs were turned to her. Their faces were turned towards the entrance to the bar. Levy clambered over people, trying for a better vantage point. And then she saw it as she was standing on Elfman's back. Two familiar silhouettes in the doorway, rimmed by moonlight. One was tiny, and the other was huge with wild, crazy hair. The large one stood with its hands holding open the massive bar doors, and the small was using the left-side door to prop itself up.

And then they both collapsed.

"Jet," said Makarov, jumping over the pile of mages with ease, "get Gajeel to the hospital now. You're faster than the rest of us," he added, just in case there was any lingering resentment on the part of Team Shadow Gear. "Levy, grab Pantherlily and come with me."

"Sir," she replied. By the time she and the Master had gotten to Lily, Jet had already taken off with the dragon slayer slung over his shoulder towards Magnolia Hospital.

* * *

They reached Magnolia Hospital ten minutes after Jet had dropped off Gajeel. Lily had woken up along the way and explained that he wasn't hurt, just _really_ tired. He passed out again before he could explain anything else, like Gajeel's condition.

The nurses told Makarov that Gajeel had been rushed into surgery; he had some massive external wounds, a ruptured kidney and a bunch of broken bones.

"It's nothing we can't fix," said the nurse confidently.

And then Levy passed out. All the months of stress and worry left her all at once, making her head dizzy and her knees unable to function. Makarov just laughed as a group of orderlies picked her up and brought her to an empty room to rest for a bit. Pantherlily was taken to Gajeel's room and given the other bed inside it. Makarov returned to the guild hall to give everyone the good news.

"There's no stopping it now, Jet," said Makarov as he passed him in the waiting room. "These damn punks." He laughed again, a good, hearty laugh of utter relief.

* * *

Levy woke a while later. She wasn't sure how long she'd been out, but if the daylight outside her window said anything, probably all night. She had just slept off a third of a year's worth of panic.

Quietly, she slipped out of bed and walked out into the hallway.

"Levy-chan," said a nurse, approaching her. "Are you all right now?"

"Yes, thank you! Um…could you tell me where Gajeel's room is?"

"The dragon slayer? Right there, Levy-chan." The nurse pointed to the door right next to the room from Levy had just exited. Levy chuckled and entered.

* * *

Good? Bad? Decent? Let me know! Also, I am thinking of continuing this after the eventual "yay they got together' moment. I don't like those disney-esque stories that end when the prince and princess get together. What do you all think of me continuing this for a while into their relationship? If no one's interested, I won't do it, and I'll move on to something else, but if you like the idea, let me know!

Thanks, and till next time!


	13. Where Lucy gets the wrong idea

Haha, fooled you! Two chapters tonight! This one has a little bit of funny in it again. Now that the crazy panic is over, I'd like to bring in some of the happy fun stuff again.

Please R&R.

I do not own Fairy Tail. If I did, we'd see more of Hibiki, and GajeelxLevy would be canon (though who here really thinks they aren't at this point?).

* * *

Lily was already awake when Levy came in. The cat was looking a little worse for wear and part of his tail was furless, but all in all he seemed all right. Gajeel was laid out on his bed, and even though he was bundled beneath two blankets pulled up to his neck, it was obvious he was bad off.

"Levy," whispered Pantherlily. "You're here early."

"Hm?"

"It's six a.m.," said Pantherlily, motioning to the clock on the wall.

"Ah, well, I sort of spent the night in the room next door," she replied, smiling. No, not smiling. Beaming. She was positively ecstatic to be in the same room as Gajeel and Lily again. "I passed out as soon as I heard Gajeel was going to be okay."

"Oh Levy," said Lily. "Of course he is. He's too big and stupid to die. And he had the memory of you to keep him going and the knowledge you'd be waiting to drive him home. I really think your existence is the only reason he made it through."

Levy blushed profusely and hugged Lily gently, sobbing onto the tiny cat's shoulder.

"Hush, come on. Don't cry over that idiot. Go to him. He's still out, but I'm sure he'd appreciate some attention."

Levy moved slowly to Gajeel's bedside, moving the chair that was against the wall into position so she could sit next to him. She reached her cold hands under the covers and found his warm ones, grasping them tightly.

"Thank the heavens you're home," she whispered.

Throughout the day, some of the other guild members filtered in to check on Gajeel and Lily. They didn't seem so afraid of him now that he was unconscious and unable to sneer at them. Or hurt them. Jet and Droy came in the late afternoon, after most everyone had already filtered through. They gave Levy a huge hug, happy that she was finally out of her funk, though deep down still depressed it was the dragon slayer for whom her heart yearned and not either of them. But they had vowed to each other that they wouldn't stand in the way of Levy's happiness. And the smile on her face as she thanked them for being so kind as to visit, strengthened their belief in that vow. Her smile was worth more than anything.

Lucy and Natsu, holding hands, stopped by in the late afternoon asking if Levy wanted anything to eat. She declined, saying that the nurse had promised to bring her something. Happy, who had come with them, spoke briefly to Pantherlily, and had offered him a fish, which was happily accepted. After they left, no one else came, and Levy was left to her own thoughts, since Lily went back to sleep soon after he finished eating.

Levy stared at Gajeel's face. With tentative fingers, she reached out and touched his cheeks, tracing the line of his cheekbones down to his strong jaw, following the curve to his chin and to his lips. She pulled back, blushing in embarrassment. _What am I doing?_

Suddenly, Gajeel stirred in his sleep.

_Crap, did I wake him up?_

The dragon slayer rolled over onto his side, groaning unconsciously as he did so. Rolling over had created an opening on the mattress. It was a Levy-sized space that begged to be filled by a Levy-sized person.

Without thinking, Levy slid off her shoes and crawled into Gajeel's hospital bed and snuggled up against him. He was warm, from being under the blankets, and slightly cushiony due to all the bandages around his midsection. Levy put her arms around his neck and buried her face in his chest, careful to avoid anywhere bandaged. She breathed in his scent, woodsy and wild with a hint of iron, just like she remembered.

"I love you Gajeel," she whispered.

Levy smiled and kissed his neck and fell asleep there, holding him.

When he was sure she was sleep, Gajeel whispered back.

"I love you too."

He put his arms around her, one around her waist, and one around her back so he could stroke her hair, and fell into the first decent sleep he had had since his departure.

_I finally made it back home_.

* * *

Lucy's squeak woke Levy the next morning. She had come to see her friend, but when she found her friend in the same bed as Gajeel, she couldn't contain herself.

"Lucy, shh," whispered Levy, almost as surprised as Lucy had been to see Gajeel's arms draped around her. _He must have shifted in the night_.

Lucy waved at her friend, beckoning her over. Levy begrudgingly got out of bed; she had been so warm and comfortable, and besides, she didn't want to leave Gajeel's side for a minute now he was finally back.

Levy's face turned instantly red when she realized what she had done. The night before she had been too tired to pay attention, but now, she fully understood. She had _slept_ with Gajeel. Not in any sort of naughty way, of course, but still.

"Levy what are you doing? Did you and he…"

"No! Of course not! And besides, he's still injured. I don't even think he's conscious. The bed just looked so warm last night…"

Lucy sighed, but relented. It wasn't like she and Natsu hadn't shared a bed, though she had never initiated that one. He just seemed to sneak in every night.

"Lu-chan, what are you doing here, anyway?" asked Levy.

"I'm just making sure you're all right. And Natsu's worried about Gajeel, though he'd rather die than say it out loud. They've actually got a lot in common."

"I know! They do, don't they?"

Levy and Lucy shared a giggle, much to the dissatisfaction of Gajeel, who was being a sneaky eavesdropper again. He had woken up an hour earlier, happy to find the little bundle of Levy still in his grasp. He liked waking up to her, especially after so long of wondering whether or not he would ever be able to see her again. He had kissed her forehead and just lay their being bored, since he still couldn't move. He was too sore for that, and he was too warm to try too hard to get up.

Levy bid farewell to Lucy and returned to the chair still set up next to the bed.

"I wish you'd wake up," she whispered.

"Wish granted, Bookworm," he groaned. He opened his eyes and looked directly at her, his look intense despite being under heavy medication.

Levy jumped off her chair and stared down at Gajeel, wide-eyed. Her face was a mix of shock and fear and happiness.

"Ga…Gajeel…."

"Don't leave me hanging, Bookworm. Come here."

Gajeel reached up and took her cheek in his hand. Slowly, he pulled her face towards his. And finally, his lips joined with hers, and they didn't let go until neither of them could breathe anymore.

* * *

OMAKE: Lucy reports to Natsu

Lucy stumbled into her house, tripping over something large on the floor in front of her door. It was Natsu.

"Idiot, get off the floor. I have a couch you know. That's where normal people wait."

"Happy's on the couch."

"But Happy's tiny, why can't you...Oh god, not again."

Happy had spread out his collection of fish across the cushions of Lucy's couch. He had separated them by color and size, and was in the middle of counting them.

Lucy supposed that everyone had to have something the truly enjoyed, but evens till, she wasn't sure why it had to involve her couch. She was going to have to have the upholstery cleaned again.

"Lucy," groaned Natsu, throwing his arms around her neck and hanging off her shoulders. She dragged him a few steps before she stopped and turned to face him. His hands didn't leave her neck.

"They're fine, Natsu. Gajeel's fine and so is Pantherlily. And so is Levy. Finally."

* * *

Well, I hope you liked it! I figured i'd give you two sweet chapters tonight. I'm in a sweet kind of mood today. More to come tomorrow.

Till next time!


	14. Where the universe is satisfied

So first off, SORRY for the super-long delay in updates. Life happened. It got in the way, and I kicked its ass. Now that life knows its place, I have some time to update again, which is nice. There is plenty more to come.

* * *

Gajeel spent three weeks in the hospital, waiting for his wounds to heal. If it wasn't for Levy's constant company, he would have gone mad with boredom. She read to him, she talked to him about what had happened while he was gone, and told him about all the great jobs he was missing out on while being stuck in his hospital bed. The one thing they never spoke of, though, was what had happened between them personally before he left. After that great kiss when he had first woken up in the hospital, she had been kind of distant. And despite the fact that she was with him every day and seemed perfectly sweet, there was something different. He wondered if something had happened while he was gone that she had neglected to mention.

His feelings were unchanged. How could they be any different? The only thought in his head during his long mission was getting home to see her. But had hers changed? Was she spending time with him only out of friendship? Or even worse…_pity_? He stared at her as she read to him, her cute glasses snug on the end of her nose, her eyes titled down towards the book. He had to know what was wrong. He was about to ask her, when she took the words right out of his mouth.

"Gajeel? What's wrong?"

"Hm?"

"You were staring. Is something wrong? Is there something on my face?" She suddenly got self-conscious, wiping at random places on her face with a serious look in her eyes. Gajeel had to laugh.

"Nothing's wrong with me, Short Stuff. I was actually wondering if there was something wrong with you."

"What do you mean?"

"You don't look at me when we talk and your eyes never meet mine anymore. Did something happen while I was away? Was I just gone so long you gave up on me?"

"What? No! Of course not! I just…well…"

"Spit it out, Bookworm." Gajeel propped himself up on his elbow, grimacing at the pain that was part injury and part stiffness from being confined in bed.

"I just thought that maybe I was being annoying. But I didn't want to leave, so I sort of never shut up these past weeks so you didn't have the opportunity to kick me out."

"Huh? Did you lose your brains somewhere when I was gone? How are _you_ annoying?"

Levy shuffled her feet, and looked determinedly down at them. "Before you left, you said you couldn't return my feelings. But you said you didn't hate me, and I had hope. I had so much hope. Too much, maybe, so when you woke up, all that kind of exploded out of me, hope and relief and all the feelings I had been bottling up for months. After that, I was dead embarrassed, and worried."

"Worried?"

"Yes. Worried that you would think less of me for throwing myself at you, who didn't return my feelings. When it comes to you, I just can't help myself."

Gajeel noticed tiny tears welling up in the corners of her eyes as she continued to stare at her feet. Was she nuts? Absolutely nuts? Hadn't he asked her to kiss him? And hadn't he kissed her back deep and hard, relief pouring out of him too? He scratched his head and groaned.

"Come here, Shorty. Come sit with me."

Levy stood up and shifted her butt from the wooden chair at his bedside to the edge of his bed. Her back was turned to him, her head still hung.

"Not like that, you silly girl. Put your feet up here and get under the blankets."

Levy turned her head, glancing at him over her shoulder. Encouraged by the smile on his face, she slid off her shoes and picked her feet up onto the bed. Gajeel reached over and covered her, then pulled her close so her head rested neatly against his collarbones.

"Now don't talk crazy talk anymore. Stay here and go to sleep or something. Don't even think I don't feel the same about you that you do about me."

Levy perked up at that. "Gajeel…"

"Quiet. Go to sleep. No confessions, no lovey-dovey crap. We're together now, leave it at that." He wrapped his arms around her and promptly fell asleep.

For a long while, Levy stroked the long locks of hair that had fallen over his shoulders and stared at his serene sleeping face. She felt the weight of his arms on her sides, the touch of his hands against her back, the rise and fall of his chest as his breathing evened out. She heard his heartbeat and the little noises he made in his sleep.

She realized that she was neither happy nor sad, excited nor worried. Here she was, locked in the arms of the man she loved, a love which he actually returned, and she was perfectly comfortable. In that instant, it was as if they had been together for years and all of this was just part of the daily routine.

It was the universe telling her that they were meant to be.

* * *

Short, I know, but it was spur of the moment. Next update will be longer. Gajeel will be out of the hospital and will probably want to play. Be prepared for the rating to shift within the next bunch of chapters. POSSIBLY. I still am not sure if i want to make it explicit enough for it to shift to 'M'. We'll see.

Till next time!


	15. Where Levy's face is only half on

Hi...So it's been a while...Life sort of happened while I was away in Fairy Tail land. I'm back now, though! I am working about 60 hours a week, so I don't know how often I can update, but I'll try to be fast like before.

Anywho, here's the continuation. Finally. I have a lot of ideas for this one, and also a TON for my other fic (Arranged), so be prepared for updates on both.

I hope you enjoy this!

As always, I do not own Fairy Tail. Also, where the hell have Gajeel and Levy been in the manga recently? If Gajeel dead? (heaven forbid). You'd think a big strong dragonslayer would've woken the hell up by now. Sorry. *End Rant*

* * *

By this point, there wasn't a single member of Fairy Tail that didn't know Levy and Gajeel were together. They had been suspicious for a while that Levy might like Gajeel, especially while he was gone and she was so distraught, but they never expected to see Gajeel look so comfortable around Levy.

It was a few days after Gajeel was released from the hospital, and he was tired of eating the limited food Pantherlily knew how to cook. Levy had offered to cook for him, but he refused; she already did too much for him anyway, and he didn't enjoy relying on others. He walked over to Fairy Hills, still in a little pain from his injuries, and went to the side of the building, stopping beneath Levy's window. He grabbed a nearby stone and flung it up at the window with pinpoint accuracy, bouncing it off the window frame instead of the glass, which definitely would have shattered. When she didn't come to the window, Gajeel threw another. Over the next ten minutes, he threw about forty more stones, all of which ended up in a nice little pile beneath the window.

Maybe she wasn't home. He turned to leave, thinking of heading towards the guild in search of her, but then the window opened, and Levy leaned out.

"Gajeel? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"No, it's just…"

He stopped and stared. Levy was wrapped only in a towel, a tiny bit of cleavage showing above the light blue cloth. She was drying her hair with a second towel, but her chest and neck still glistened with bath water.

Levy looked down at him, confused, but quickly realized what had stopped him talking. She threw the towel in her hands over her torso, covering herself quickly.

"Gajeel!"

"It's not my fault you came to the window like that."

Levy sighed. He was right, of course, but she was still embarrassed.

"Come up for a minute while I get ready," she said, pointing towards the doorway on the other side of the building.

"Sure, I'll come up, but I'm not taking the long way around." In one quick movement, Gajeel bounded up the side of the building, using his momentum to propel himself up to her window. He gripped the ledge and pulled himself up, climbing through as Levy jumped out of his way.

"What are you doing, stupid? You're still injured!"

"I'm fine, Short Stuff. Just peachy." He smiled as she sighed in resignation. "You'd better get some clothes on before I take advantage of this situation."

"Gajeel, you wouldn't dare!"

He moved closer to her, reaching out to stroke her bare shoulder, a wicked grin on his face. Levy slapped his hand away and ran off to her bedroom amidst his very loud chuckles. He wasn't about to ruin this by attacking her, as much as he might want to do just that, but he was allowed to mess with her a little, right?

After setting aside a large pile of books, and noticing the permanent dent they had left in the couch, he sat, waiting as patiently as he could for Levy to emerge from her bedroom. After two minutes he stood up and stretched, glancing furtively at her bedroom door. After five minutes, he had begun to pace, his hands shoved into the depths of his pockets. After ten minutes he started grumbling and muttering under his breath. And after ten and a half minutes, he finally called out to her.

"What the hell are you doing in there that's taking so long?"

"I didn't know I was being timed!" she called back. "You want me to come out with only half my face on?"

"Your… Half your face? What the **hell** are you doing in there?" Gajeel scrambled up to the door on all fours, trying to peer through the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor.

"My makeup, you idiot," Levy said. Gajeel looked up as the door opened, revealing Levy's skinny figure standing in the doorway, hands on her hips. She stared at him as he pushed himself back onto his feet, one eyebrow arched.

"Peeking, are we?" she asked.

"No ma'am," he said quickly.

"Good," she said with a firm nod. "Now explain to me why you're here instead of at home resting."

"I want food. Real food. GOOD food. I thought maybe you'd want to join me."

"At the guild hall?"

"No, somewhere different. We always eat at the guild hall."

"Mr. Redfox, are you asking me out on a date?" Her tone was teasing and she had a snarky look on her face.

Gajeel visibly blushed and Levy almost had a heart attack. She hadn't been prepared for that. The slight coloring on her cheeks made him seem almost adorable.

"N-no," he began, trying to cover it up, "I just want to repay you for taking care of me when I was stuck at the hospital." Gajeel shoved his hands back into his pockets. It was becoming his new favorite thing to do.

"Oh," she said, sounding somewhat dejected. She hoped she hadn't been reading too much into their recent interactions. She hoped he still cared. She was about to become depressed, but then she remembered who she was dealing with. Gajeel was not perhaps the most suave of men, and he was certainly no gentleman. She doubted he had much experience with this whole 'love' thing; and who was she to criticize? What **real** experience had she ever had? Zilch.

The pair of them were going to have to learn this thing together.

Levy smiled. "So where are we going?"

* * *

Thanks for sticking with me through the two months of no updates! If you thought this one was slow, I promise you there will be some major things coming up soon.

Till next time!


	16. Where Gajeel remembers a story

So, Hi. It's been a while. I've moved to a new city. I've busted my knee. You know, life and all that. Here's a new one. I'll be updating my other story soon too, and hopefully more of this one, since i'm kinda laid up with my knee all busted. I haven't had time in a while, and I definitely missed this.

I don't own Fairy Tail. Do you think Hiro Mashima will give it to me as a get well soon gift?

* * *

It turned out that the _real_ food Gajeel was looking for could only be found at Dirty Mike's, seediest bar and grill in all Magnolia. It was situated near the harbor and was where most of the fighters and assassins liked to hang out after coming into town by boat. Some of the more daring dockhands frequented the place as well, but only because it was close and the food was damn good.

Gajeel opened the door for Levy, allowing her to enter first. Everyone inside looked up at her. The men, and some of the women, ogled her in her tiny, sleeveless white dress. Some of them looked like they wanted to kill her. Levy turned around, wanting to escape, but Gajeel's chest was there, right in front of her face, stopping her.

"What's wrong, Short Stuff?"

"_Here_, Gajeel? You want to eat _here_?"

"What's wrong with here? They serve steak rare with mushrooms and iron in butter sauce. And Levy, there's baked potatoes with iron flakes and bacon. And…"

Levy just smiled at him, conceding. If he was going to be this excited, there was no way she could say no. Even if the entire population of the bar looked like they wanted to screw her or kill her. Or both, and in no particular order.

Gajeel led Levy to a little table out of the way and pulled her chair out for her. She sat, smiling at him again as he slid her up to the table. On the inside, Levy was shaking with laughter. This scene was so domestic, so mundane, considering where they were. She looked around; people were still staring, but with confusion on their faces now where lust and murderous intent had once been. She definitely understood why.

"I'll get drinks. And food? You hungry?"

"Oh…sure. Whatever's fine. You know what I like." It was true, too. They had eaten plenty of hospital food together.

Gajeel approached the bar and signaled for Dirty Mike himself.

"Ah, Gajeel Redfox. It's been a while. You been away?"

"And fighting. Can I get something strong for me, and something not so strong for Short Stuff over there?"

"She your woman?"

"Yeah," said Gajeel, and he did his best to hide the grin that wanted to appear on his face. Levy was _his_ woman. He had never had a person like that before, someone he could call _his_ (and Pantherlily didn't count because he was a cat and definitely didn't _belong_ to anyone). Being able to think of Levy as _his_ was a good feeling. Especially after their past. He shuddered suddenly. Their past. Shit. Did he really have the right to call her _his_?

"Food?" asked Mike, pulling Gajeel away from his memories.

"Uh…yeah. Usual for me, and…what do you serve that's girly and light?"

"What, like a salad or something?"

"Yeah."

"We don't have nothing like that."

"Ah. Another one of what I get then. Minus the iron. And like half the portion size. She'd explode if she ate a full one."

"Comin' up."

Gajeel returned to the table with their drinks in hand and passed hers to her. For a while, Gajeel just watched her as her eyes darted around the room, taking in all the sights. There were weapons hanging all over the walls, and newspaper articles about assassinations perpetrated by some of Dirty Mike's most loyal patrons. Levy was eyeing a particularly nasty set of scimitars, a content smile on her face, like the pair of them were eating a home-cooked meal in her apartment.

Gajeel recalled the last time she had cooked for him, the night before he left town. It had been perhaps the best night of his life, and also the second worst (Metalicana's disappearance would always be number one worst). He shuddered at the memory. Deep down, he was glad he hadn't told her where he was going that night, or what his mission would entail. There had been a couple times he thought for sure he wouldn't make it, and always hers was the face that appeared in his mind, hers was the face that kept him going. Without even realizing it, she had saved him, redeemed him, forgiven him. She loved him when he wasn't sure if he would ever love _himself_. And now it was his turn. Somehow he had to repay her.

That's when he realized that dinner at Dirty Mike's probably wasn't the best idea he had ever had. When he turned to look at her, he realized it might have been the worst.

Two large goons were standing around Levy's table, one behind her, towering over her, and one to her right. They had come in after Gajeel had gone for the food, and so didn't realize little Levy was here accompanied. They might not even have cared; they were at least a foot taller than Gajeel, though most certainly stupider and slower.

"Come play at our table, little lady," said the one behind her, grasping at the ends of her hair, running her blue locks through his grimy fingers. Levy felt her skin crawl.

"We'll treat you nice, right Tires. We treat all the little ladies right pretty."

Levy felt herself start to dry-heave. She had never been so disgusted in her life. She wasn't frightened, at least, but she was certainly grossed out.

From the bar, Gajeel was making his move toward her, pushing people out of their chairs as he slammed his way past their tables. _No one touches my Bookworm_.

But then he saw it. He saw the pen in Levy's hand. And suddenly a story came back to him. A while back, Mirajane had told him the tale of the three taverns. As she told it, Levy had been walking home one night and as she passed the three taverns on the main road, she was approached by some seedy characters. Instead of crying for help, she raised her pen and wrote out BOMB, followed by FIRE. And thus all three taverns, and all four seedy gentlemen, were taken out.

Gajeel _liked_ Dirty Mike's. His concern suddenly shifted from Levy's safety to that of everyone else in the bar.

"Levy, stop!" he shouted, finally reaching the table.

"Who are yo…"

Gajeel's arm turned to iron and before the thug could say another word, he and his companion were on the ground, fresh bruises on their faces.

"Why did you stop me? I had it under control," said Levy defiantly.

"I know, Bookworm, I know. Does the story of the three taverns ring any bells?"

Levy blushed. "Mirajane talks a lot. It was only those two times. I paid to have the bars rebuilt. And those guys were fine both times."

"That happened twice? Guys have come after you that many times?"

"Hm? Oh, that's happened a lot more than twice. BOMB and FIRE are my gut reaction words. It's better than BUNNIES or CHOCOLATE, right? At least my first instinct is offense."

Gajeel burst into laughter, his deep cackle silencing the room. Through the tears in his eyes, he glanced at Levy's perplexed face and laughed all the harder.

"What's the matter with you?"

"You really are my kinda woman." And he kissed her square on the mouth. It was only after he pulled away that he realized the both of them were perched on the backs of the thugs he had punched. And that even Dirty Mike himself, who had seen _everything_ in his day, seemed both impressed and nervous all at once.

"Food to go then?"

Levy nodded enthusiastically, still bright red from the kiss.

* * *

Plenty more to come folks. Intrigue. Betrayal. Lust. Quesadillas. Well, all but that last thing.


	17. Where there is much drinking

So I updated a little more quickly this time. I also think I'm going to work on the next chapter tonight too, since I'm in the mood to write. Also, I have finally figured out how to end this thing, so it's all going to be leading to the giant finale (there's going to be a BUNCH more chapters still, but things are going to be a little more focused now). Hopefully I can finish this soonish, because I really want to write more of Arranged, my other LevyxGajeel fic.

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I hope it makes all you fangirls squeal just a little bit.

Also, I have been neglecting to mention this, because I totally forget every time, but THANK YOU to all of you who have read this and have left reviews and given me encouragement! I really appreciate it! It sorta makes me feel like in some little way what I write matters, and since I normally write my own stories and hope to be published one day, I am happy to see that people are taking to my writing style so well. I owe it all to you guys! 

* * *

Gajeel and Levy decided it would be best to take their take-out back to Levy's apartment. Gajeel said something indistinct about his own place being like a warzone, but really he didn't want to hear any snide remarks from his cat.

Gajeel parked himself on Levy's couch and opened up the food containers while Levy went to the kitchen after plates and booze. She had taken to keeping some in her fridge in the event that Gajeel showed up and wanted to stay a while. She had been hoping that would happen more often than it had so far, but she wasn't about to complain. He still paid her more attention than anyone else (discounting Lily).

"Hey, this is the good stuff," said Gajeel, taking the large mug of frothy ale she had offered him. He downed it in one.

"Thirsty, are we?" She smiled and sat beside him. The food looked really good, and though she normally favored salads and light foods, she wasn't against an occasional steak. When she tasted it, she finally understood why Gajeel had wanted to go to Dirty Mike's so badly. Everything just dripped flavor.

"Short Stuff, you okay over there?"

"Hmm?" she asked, staring at him with steak grease on her chin.

Gajeel snorted. "You're making moaning sounds." Levy blushed profusely.

"It's just really good food," she said softly.

"Well if that's what's gonna happen, remind me to take you there more often. But we get the food to go. You ain't gonna be moanin' in front of those seedy dudes." He ripped a large hunk of meat off his steak and chewed it savagely.

He didn't notice that Levy had turned completely away from him, her face as pink as his rare steak. _Did he really just say that to me?_ Levy decided now was the time for more booze. Lots and LOTS of booze. She wouldn't be able to face him again without a little liquid courage. Within ten minutes, she had knocked back three large mugs of ale and was pouring herself another in the kitchen when Gajeel came up behind her and put his hands on hers, stopping her.

"I think you've had enough, Short Stack. You're so tiny that any more and you're gonna be wasted."

Slowly, Levy turned around, a pronounced blush on her face. She smirked up at him, a look he had never seen from her in her eyes. Fortunately, he had seen Juvia give that look to the Ice Stripper enough times that he knew what it meant.

"And that's my cue to go," he said quickly. "But first, I'm putting you in your room and locking the door so you don't cause any trouble."

"Gajeel, wai…"

Ignoring her protests, Gajeel scooped her up into his arms and carried her to her bedroom. He noticed her snuggling into his chest, but he decided it was best to pretend it wasn't happening. He was a little drunk and she was _all the way_ drunk, and grabby hands would only make more problems.

Once in her room, he shifted her so he had a hand free to move the books off her bed so he could set her down. He pulled back her sheets and placed her into bed, covering her all the way up to her neck.

"Gajeel, I'm not a little kid," she protested, "and I am certainly not *hic* drunk."

"Sure you ain't. Sleep tight Bookworm. I'll bring you something for the hangover in the morning."

"Wait!" she yelled, grabbing his wrist with both hands. "Wait, are you leaving?"

"I just said so, didn't I?"

"But you can't leave me all alone! You said we're together now, and I worried so much when you were…when you were *hic*…."

"I know, Levy," he said, suddenly serious. "God, I know, and I worried too. I really did. But you're drunk and I'm not playing sleepover with a drunk girl." He brushed the soft blue hair from her forehead with his free hand and placed a small kiss where his hand had been. Still, she wouldn't let him go. Her eyes were huge and imploring.

"Gajeel, you can't leave me all alone…"

Gajeel felt his resolve weakening. He sighed inwardly and looked down at her in annoyance.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep, okay?" _That shouldn't be more than five minutes with how drunk she is._

"Nuh uh," she said, suddenly playful again. With all her drunken might, she pulled Gajeel down on top of her. He rolled in an attempt not to crush her and ended up laying next to her, her hands still fastened to his wrist.

"Levy…ugh..."

He was interrupted by her lips closing on his as she climbed on top of him. Her lips moved from his mouth to his cheek and then to his neck, leaving small tingly spots wherever they touched.

Gajeel tried and failed several times to push her off of him. Either alcohol made her stronger than hell or he just didn't have the desire anymore to stave off her advances, because she stayed firmly planted where she was. She kissed his forehead, placing her chest directly in his line of sight. And that was when reason went away.

Gajeel felt a certain place start to react and he knew he was lost to lust. He just prayed she would forgive him in the morning. He wondered if she'd even remember. Secretly, and despite the fact that it would be easier to look at her if she didn't, he kind of hoped she would.

* * *

Squealing yet?

Till next time!


	18. Where there is a morning after

Well, this was a FUN chapter to write.

Omake after the show.

* * *

Levy rolled over and hit her nose on something hard. She groaned, rubbing at the tip of her nose as she woke up the rest of the way. She was used to hitting her face and arms and legs on books all night long, so this wasn't new, but on top of her headache, it made for a crappy start to the day. She sat up and stretched, trying to figure out why she felt like she was going to die. There was something about drinking maybe, and something Gajeel said…

_Oh right, Gajeel came over and we ate and I drank a lot of alcohol. Well, that explains the headache then. And the stomache ache. Oh God_. Levy jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom, where she threw up all of her dinner. It was just as flavorful coming back up.

Once she was sure there wasn't anything left in her to throw up, she cleaned herself up and threw on a set of pajamas from the laundry basket in the hall and stumbled back into her room, preparing for a long day of sleeping it off. But at the doorway, she stopped. There was something big and black in her bed. And it wasn't a pile of books.

And then she remembered everything.

And then she screamed.

"Huh? Dammit, Bookworm, that's not a great way to wake someone up," said Gajeel, who had shot up so quickly in the bed that he had almost fallen out of it.

"Shh!" she demanded. Levy put her ear to the wall, and sure enough, there were footsteps rushing towards her door. "Just stay here and stay quiet." She disappeared.

_Well, I guess she remembered._

* * *

"Levy-chan, are you okay! Can you come to the door?"

Levy opened the door to the worried faces of Juvia, Erza, Cana and Wendy.

"Levy-chan, do you need me to hurt someone?" asked Erza. She ex-quipped from her pajamas into her Titania armor in preparation of an early morning extermination job.

"No, no, it's fine," said Levy, her hands up trying to calm her friends. "I just saw a _giant_ rat, but I got rid of it. I woke up and it was sitting on my bed."

_That's rude_, thought Gajeel, who could hear everything.

"If you're sure then…"

"I'm sure," she said quickly. "Thank you guys!" She shut the door and leaned against the inside of it, panting heavily. _Crap that was close. Oh crap! What am I going to say to Gajeel? About what I did to him? Crap!_

"Bookworm, you all right in there?" called Gajeel. Levy blushed just at his voice.

She wanted to crawl away into a corner and hide for a week. Maybe a month. She had never lost control of herself like that before! She was the sweet, innocent one! She was the book geek, not the seductress! How could just a little bit of alcohol change her so drastically?

"Bookworm?" Gajeel was now standing right next to her. He was shirtless and his hair was a giant bird's nest. Levy laughed suddenly, breaking up all the tension in her body.

_Damn, she's lost it._ "Levy, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she snorted. "Oh, wait, are you okay? I mean, I'm sorry! I mean…"

"Calm down and talk like a normal person." Gajeel put his hands on her shoulders and led her to the couch. He plopped down next to her.

"Gajeel," she began. She paused, unsure of how exactly to apologize for jumping him. She had no experience in apologizing for such things.

"Levy, listen," said Gajeel suddenly. "I'm sorry about last night. I know I said I wasn't gonna play sleepover with a drunk girl, but you started kissing me and…"

"Don't remind me! I'm embarrassed enough!"

"Oh," he said, disheartened. "Well, I'll get my stuff then, and head home. I mean, I'm still sorry. It was your first time and all." He had noticed that a couple seconds in when he smelled blood. He had almost stopped right then, but she wouldn't keep her mouth off his long enough for him to say anything. And besides, he really didn't want to let her go when he had her that close. Now, though, he was sort of regretting it.

Levy realized how her last statement must have sounded to him. "Wait! That isn't what I meant! I've just…I've never done anything like that before. I mean attacking someone…"

"You were like a pro. I couldn't do a thing to stop you."

Levy blushed again at the memory. "Gajeel, I'm sorry I forced you into that! You probably didn't want…"

"Short Stack, if I didn't want you, I would've found a way to push you away. I am ten times stronger than you. Trust me, there wasn't any 'didn't want' about it. Or are you regretting…"

"Of course not! Well, maybe that I can't remember much." She blushed again. _Where is this trampy me coming from?_

"Heh," he laughed. "Whenever you want a rematch, you let me know. And no booze this time. Still, though, I should go get cleaned up."

"Um, yeah," she whispered. Her mind was slowly going numb. He was totally okay with what happened. He even offered her another go. She felt like she was going to melt.

"See you at the guild later?" Gajeel asked as he was leaving. Levy just shook her head 'yes' and stared numbly as he kissed her forehead and left.

Levy went back to the bathroom and stared at herself in the mirror for a while. She was, of course, beet red. She felt like everything was different now. Everything was somehow better. She barely even noticed the headache anymore.

* * *

OMAKE: The Walk of Shame

Gajeel made it back to his house. It was still early enough he hoped he could slip in without waking Lily. Unfortunately for him, the cat was wide awake and standing on the arm of his shabby couch, arms crossed.

"And where were we last night?"

"Just out," said Gajeel sheepishly.

"Out with whom? With Levy-chan?" Gajeel didn't respond and Lily knew he had guessed correctly. "Gajeel, you didn't do anything untoward to her, did you?"

"Cat, I don't know what you're talking about." That sheepish tone snuck back into his voice.

"Gajeel, what did you and Levy-chan do ALL NIGHT?"

"It wasn't all night! We fell asleep eventually!" Gajeel threw his hand over his mouth suddenly. He had revealed far more than he had intended to.

"GAJEEL REDFOX! How dare you call yourself a man! You're just slime!"

"I don't know. I think I was damn manly, myself."

"GO TO YOUR ROOM! THIS INSTANT!"

"Yes mom."

* * *

I haven't done an omake in a while. I like bringing back momma Lily. Lily, the only real voice of reason left in that relationship. Anyway, I'm probably going to write the next chapter right now,since I seem to be on a roll.


	19. Where Levy discovers something important

Wow, I'm having fun writing these tonight! Since I finally figured out how I want to end this, it's easier to write.

Thanks again for all the wonderful reviews! I'm glad everyone is enjoying Pantherlily.

* * *

Gajeel walked into the guild hall and Natsu knew instantly what had happened. Which meant Lucy knew just a few moments later. Lucy managed to make Natsu keep his mouth shut (no easy task), because she was sure her friend wouldn't want everyone to know her personal business. All the same, Lucy walked up to Gajeel as he sat at the bar.

"Bunny girl?"

Lucy smacked Gajeel across the face.

"Ouch, what the…"

"Take care of her," said Lucy in a whisper and she stomped off to her own table. Natsu hugged her in delight that she had gotten in a hit on his rival. Gajeel just smiled to himself.

"You look like you're in a good mood for once," said Mirajane, setting lunch in front of Gajeel.

"No ma'am," he said. Mirajane was the _last_ person in the world he wanted to know what had happened. He grimaced as she smiled sweetly at him. Finally she gave up and went to tend to her other customers, but out of the corner of her eye she watched him, trying to catch him if he gave anything away.

Lily joined Gajeel fifteen minutes later. The cat was rubbing his head with his tiny paw.

"What's up, cat?"

"You do this to me, you know. This pain in my head is _your_ fault you irresponsible scrap heap," whispered Lily. He too was keenly aware of the power Mirajane would hold over all of them if she found out. He was just thankful she wasn't a dragonslayer with super keen senses.

About an hour later, Levy joined the other two. She looked much more chipper than she had in the morning. She had hid the dark circles beneath her eyes skillfully with some makeup, but even makeup couldn't hide her pale complexion.

"Oh dear, Levy, are you sick?" asked Mirajane.

"All morning," she replied, with a weary smile, glad the throwing up was over and the headache was all but gone. "But I'm good now. Mira-san, can you bring me some food? Like, a _lot_ of food?"

Mirajane smiled. "Of course, dear."

"She knows," said Lily suddenly.

"What? How?" asked Gajeel.

"I'm not sure. She was still trying to figure it out before, but when Levy walked in, she figured it out. Dammit, Gajeel, _She_ knows."

"It'll be fine, Pantherlily," said Levy cheerfully. "Mira-san won't tell anyone. And I'm sure Natsu and Lucy know anyway."

"Yeah she does. Bunny girl slapped me." Gajeel looked at Levy with a wounded expression. She just giggled in return. "But we're keeping this to ourselves, right? I'll probably kill some people if I start getting teased."

"Why, because I'm a little book geek? Because I'm not as pretty as Lu-chan or Cana or Erza?" Levy suddenly blushed, embarrassed at how she was acting. _I wish I could blame this on the alcohol. Why am I doing this? This isn't me at all!_

"Where are you getting that idea from, Short Stack? You want me to get up on the counter and scream it out? I will, y'know."

"No, _no_, it's fine. I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm being like this. I'm sorry."

"Nah, stop apologizin'. You're just the right size for my hands, and besides, you're much prettier than the rest of 'em." He finished off his second plate of food and downed the rest of his beer.

Lily smiled at Levy's blush. _Finally. After all this time. Those two idiots…well one idiot and one extremely unsure young woman… have finally gotten together. Thank God for that._

* * *

It had been over a month since Levy and Gajeel had been together. They both wanted another go, but things kept getting in the way. First, Lily had decided to shadow Gajeel everywhere for two weeks, to make sure he wasn't going to ruin the relationship by saying something stupid. Then, Levy got called out for a mission with Shadow gear. She was glad to go, too, considering she hadn't really spent much time with her two best friends in a while. Then, when she finally returned home, Gajeel had to go on a mission since he and Pantherlily were finally starting to run out of money again.

And now, it had been six weeks and they had planned another trip to Dirty Mike's, both of them hoping for more or less a repeat of last time. Maybe minus the thug-smashing. Maybe.

But it looked like something else was going to get in the way now. Levy felt like crap. She hadn't even been drinking.

"Dammit! Why _now_ of all times does my body decide to hate me?"

She had spent all morning throwing up; so much so that she had just stayed on the bathroom floor. Now that she was finally back in bed and feeling a little better, she had some time to think about what she was going to tell Gajeel. She hoped he didn't think she was trying to avoid him.

Then, something that had been creeping around her brain all morning finally found its way to the forefront of her thoughts.

"No fucking way," she said loudly. She threw her covers off of herself and jumped out of bed. In a flash, she was at her bookshelf, scanning titles for the medical books. She found the volume she figured would be most informative and turned to the page indicated in the index. She read. She reread. And again.

"No fucking way!"

_Well, I guess we didn't really use protection at all. I mean, I kinda jumped him. And this says about six weeks for morning sickness to kick in. Oh wow. I have to go to the hospital. I have to know for sure. I have to make sure this isn't just food poisoning or something before I tell him._

Levy dressed herself and ran out of Fairy Hills towards Magnolia Hospital. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

Hahahaha. Nothing new with that little revelation. Levy getting pregnant has been done before, but I have some plans for this that are different, trust me. Hope you enjoy!

Till next time!


	20. Where Gajeel puts on a happy face

Four chapters in a night is a lot, and now my fingers hurt. And it's like 1 am. Oh well, it was worth it. I should be finishing a lot more tomorrow too, if my enthusiasm holds out. I hope this doesn't seem rushed. After you read this chapter, i hope you will see there is a lot more to this than 'okay, so Levy's pregnant'. I'm not making the pregnancy the big revelation at the end. There's plenty more to come :)

* * *

Levy was in the most embarrassing position of her life, and that included when she had crawled on top of Gajeel drunk. Her legs were up in stirrups, spread open uncomfortably. She was wearing a paper thin gown. And a nurse had her hands somewhere Levy was sure they shouldn't be. The nurse's magic allowed her to diagnose, but only if her hands were near one of the effected areas.

After what seemed forever, the nurse stood up and helped Levy put her legs down; her thighs were sore. The nurse removed her gloves and looked over the paperwork Levy had filled out prior to the check-up.

Levy was about to explode. Was she or wasn't she? Why wasn't his woman telling her?

"Um," she began, trying not to scream out anything insulting.

"Yes Miss McGarden, I think your self-diagnosis was correct. From what I can tell, you are indeed pregnant. About six weeks along. Does that time frame fit your sexual activity?"

Levy blushed at the bluntness of the question, but she shook her head in affirmation.

"Then it shouldn't be much of a surprise," said the nurse.

_If only you knew just how much of a surprise it is_, thought Levy. _What the hell is Gajeel going to think?_

"Well then Miss McGarden, let's get you cleaned up and on your way home. Come back if you have any problems, and we'd like to see you again at the two month stage for another check-up. And, might I add, congratulations!"

Levy thanked the nurse and went to the bathroom to change clothes. Once she had, she leaned her forehead against the glass of the mirror on the wall and just sighed. Of course it was a surprise. Neither of them had actually been planning on any activities that evening that might have required protection. And she was sure Gajeel wouldn't have been able to stop before… Well anyway, it really shouldn't have been a surprise now that she thought about it.

_What is Gajeel going to think? Is he going to freak out and tell me to go away? Is he going to be happy at all? Am I happy at all? Of course I am, what sort of question is that? Of course I'm happy. I get to have a baby, and with someone that I care for dearly. But does he care for me enough to stay by my side through this? Or is the thought of a little baby going to turn him off completely?_

She knew the only way to find out would be to tell him, but she was scared. For the first time in her life, she was well and truly scared. After she had finally found such happiness, she wasn't sure if she'd survive if she had to give it up.

* * *

Levy figured it was best to get it out of the way sooner rather than later. She didn't want him to notice a developing stomach before she had a chance to explain. It was already mid afternoon when she turned down the lane to Gajeel's house. The sun was high and the day was at its hottest. Levy felt like she was going to be sick again, but she pressed on.

It was then that she noticed the shadows. At first, they had been along the side of the road, and she had assumed they were just the trees moving. But now, the shadows stretched down the middle of the lane. She could feel people behind her. Tall people.

She turned, ready for a fight, but they grabbed her before she could fire off a single shot. She struggled hard, but they were too strong. She stared up defiantly, and realized they were the two thugs she and Gajeel had stomped at Dirty Mike's all those weeks ago. She tried to scream, but a hand was over her mouth and it came out muffled.

"Just be quiet ya little bitch. Yer boyfriend went and killed off our guild leader, and now we're gonna git our revenge," said the taller one. He smiled and licked his lips hungrily.

* * *

Gajeel was practically skipping around his house, as he and Lily cleaned. Lily, of course, was disgusted that his friend was this excited about sex, but he couldn't really blame him. There was the sound of mail dropping through the slot in the front door.

"Gajeel, make sure you dust over there, too," said Lily. "I'm getting the mail."

"Sure thing mom," retorted Gajeel, too happy to care that he was being ordered around by a cat.

"Gajeel! Get over here now!" came Lily's voice from the front hallway.

"What's wrong now, mom?" asked Gajeel, moving to the front door.

"Quit with the jokes, this is serious! I found this on the floor by the mail slot." Lily held in his paw a piece of paper rolled like a scroll and tied shut with one of Levy's headbands.

"Give me that." Lily handed the paper over and perched himself on Gajeel's shoulder so he could read it too.

_We've got your girlfriend, Dragonslayer. Come for her quick, or you'll be coming after a corpse._

At the bottom of the message was a location to meet.

"Oh Gajeel, we have to go now," said Lily, jumping down, moving instantly to their stash of weapons.

"Lily, stay here. Tell the others what happened."

"And what are you going to do?"

"Me?" he asked with an expression like the very Devil's. "I'm going to go retrieve my girlfriend."

* * *

Little Levy-chan, getting herself into trouble. As always. :)

Till next time!


	21. Where Levy tries to escape

All right Ladies and Menfolk (are there any menfolk reading this?), this is a dark chapter. I'm serious. Just be aware. Hate me if you want. Just be prepared.

Also, thank you all for the reviews! It's nice to see them in my inbox!

* * *

It was really dark, and the hard ground was wet. Levy could hear water trickling down the walls behind her. Her mouth was bound by some cloth, which smelled terrible, and her hands were chained up above her head, straining her arms. She wasn't sure how long it had been since she had been taken, but she remembered one of the thugs hitting her head with something, and then all was black. When she had come to, it had been to more blackness.

She was afraid, but in a strange way, not half so afraid as she had been on the way to Gajeel's. This was the kind of danger she was used to. Eventually she would find her way out of her bindings and she'd go on an ass-kicking rampage, or someone would find her and ass-kick for her. If anyone at Fairy Tail found out she had been kidnapped, she'd have an entire army to rescue her in a matter of seconds. She smiled at that, and resolved then and there that she wouldn't give her guild mates the satisfaction of kicking ass when she was perfectly capable herself.

Levy wiggled her hands around; the manacles were quite tight, and even her tiny hands couldn't slide out of them.

_Well shit. I should have realized it wasn't going to be that easy._

Without her hands, using her magic would be difficult. She had nothing to write with either, which didn't help. She bit the inside of her lip as she thought, running a thousand crazy scenarios through her head, realizing that none of them would work.

_Damn! Sometimes I wish I had a better power. Like the ability to turn my limbs into iron, for instance._

There was a sudden sound of metal clanging and a squeal, like a door had been opened and shut.

"Awake, are we?"

Levy jumped at the voice. It was unfamiliar, but every syllable it spoke dripped with malice. It made her skin crawl.

"Who are you? Why am I here?"

"Quiet now, little lady. You are here as bait. And bait doesn't have to be alive. I plan to kill you in front of that dragon's eyes when he comes after you, but I will kill you _now_ if you don't keep your mouth _shut_."

Levy didn't try to test that. She merely nodded, wondering if this evil man could even see her in the darkness.

"That's a good girl. Now just sit tight. Your time to shine is coming soon. That traitor dragon is on his way to you now."

Levy was pretty sure the man laughed, but it came out so garbled and twisted, it could have as easily been a growl. Then she felt a cold, damp hand on her neck. It moved down the line of her collar, caressing her, skimmed her breast and rested finally on her stomach.

"Oh," said the voice, a little surprised. "Even better."

* * *

Gajeel was ready to start cracking skulls. Not that he was ever _not_ ready to crack some skulls, but this time he had a legitimate reason to do it. There had been three distinct smells on the letter. Two of them he recognized as the idiots from Dirty Mike's; they would be easy prey. But the third scent didn't make any sense. It was _impossible_ that that scent should be on anything except the inside of a coffin. Gajeel was certain he had killed that man himself, not four months ago.

_Fucking necromancers. It has to be. I fucking HATE necromancers!_

Gajeel picked up his pace. He was headed into the forest near Magnolia. The letter had specified a ruined castle there as the location to meet. It had not specified whether Levy was being held there too, but considering who he was dealing with, Levy would be there, and she would be in danger the instant anyone knew Gajeel was close. He hated being stealthy; it so wasn't his style. But it was the only way to be sure Levy would be safe.

He ran for an hour at full speed, slowing as he came upon the ruins. From his position, he could see the two thugs he expected to see plus two others that smelled familiar, but he couldn't place why. He didn't see Levy anywhere, but neither did he see that owner of that third scent.

Gajeel positioned himself behind a tree, turned his arms into metal. He formed spikes on his forearms and aimed. Within seconds, all four of the thugs were felled, a spike through each of their necks the only proof Gajeel had been there. Well, that and bloody bootprints.

At the far corner of the ruins was a staircase leading down into the lower levels of the former castle. Gajeel took them three at a time, his nerves almost shot. The stairs spiraled around and around; there were so many of them. He bypassed the doors that led to various hallways and chambers. That man was in the dungeon for sure. The spectacle would be greater there.

He hurried.

* * *

Levy was phasing in and out of consciousness. She had been hit a few times in the head; she was fairly certain her nose was broken, and she was definitely certain she was bleeding from it and from a gash above her eye. Her captor had then ripped away her shirt for better access to her stomach and Levy had managed to kick him square in the face, eliciting a small yelp and the cracking of a bone before he retaliated. The man stood again, cackling in surprise.

"You Fairy Tail people really are insane," he laughed.

With his foot, he held Levy's feet in check. With one deft swing, he punched her, hitting her stomach hard. Levy felt a sharp pain all throughout her body and vomited up blood and bile. Tears fell of their own accord, but she was silent. She was beyond crying. Her brain had switched off.

Finally she passed out just as a deep male voice called out to her.

"LEVY!"

* * *

Yeah, pretty dark. Things get better though, don't worry!

Till next time!


	22. Where Levy has a dream

Okay, no hate mail yet...I suppose that's a good sign.

Anyway remember not to fret too much. Pain brings people closer together.

* * *

The candles around the room lit all at once. Gajeel stopped suddenly.

"Jose, you dead mother fucker!" he screamed, seeing the captor first before the captive chained to the wall. Jose was torn up, and blue and bloated. His necromancer had raised him very late into his decomposition.

"Ah, Gajeel-kun, welcome to the show. I was so hoping I'd get to entertain my other guest for a while longer, but no matter. I have already attained from her what I wished to."

"What the _fuck_ are you talking about?" Gajeel gnashed his teeth, only holding back his attacks because he sensed a trap. Caution was something Levy had taught him.

Jose stepped aside so Gajeel could see Levy. She was bleeding badly, and her skin had already formed bruises, the most obvious of which was on her stomach, a giant swollen knot of blue and purple. Gajeel felt his heart fall into his stomach.

"You see Gajeel-kun, I have taken from her the one thing that's important to both of you."

"I asked what the _FUCK_ you were talking about!"

Jose shook his head. "You didn't know? Oh, well, that puts a damper on my plans then, doesn't it? I'll just have to kill her instead. It really is the only way to pay you back if you didn't know about the baby."

Gajeel didn't have time to register the word 'baby' before he launched into an all out assault on Jose. He picked up the dead man by his collar and threw him across the room, snapping any number of his bones against the wall.

Jose picked himself up. "The beauty of being dead, you see, is that I don't feel anything. Hit me some more if you'd like. It won't matter."

Gajeel had other ideas. He turned his arms into metal again and leapt into the air at Jose, landing on top of him.

"Bludgeoning me again, Gajeel-kun? Really, that won't work."

"I know asshole." Gajeel raised his arm and brought it down, at the last moment before it connected, turning the metal into an axe. Jose's head came off in one clean swipe. The necromantic link was severed; that body would not be getting up again. But just in case, Gajeel cut the rest of Jose up into very small pieces.

He ran back across the room to Levy and split the chains. When she was in his arms he listened a moment and was satisfied that she was still breathing, however shallowly. He took off his own shirt and laid it over her chest, providing her some modicum of dignity, and began the trek back to Magnolia.

_Please God, let her be all right. Please, please…_

Suddenly, the word 'baby' sunk in. He almost stopped running, but the sense of urgency kept him going, staring wide-eyed down at the little bundle in his arms.

"Levy? Are you…" He remembered Jose saying he had taken from Levy the one thing that was important to both of them. _Shit….Levy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I didn't get there quicker. _

He kissed her forehead lightly with quivering lips and a new determination in his eyes.

* * *

Levy was falling. She felt it in her gut, that strange sensation the makes it feel like your stomach is going to come out through your butt. She felt like she was going to throw up again. Suddenly, her hand, which she had rested on her stomach felt moist. Confused, she pulled it away. There was blood on it, covering her palm. She stared down to see a gaping hole where her stomach once was, her ribs a cage around blood and air.

She woke up screaming.

Two pairs of hands were on her shoulders, holding her down, while another pair of hands held her feet. She thrashed against them, trying to sit up.

"Levy-chan, calm down!" yelled a nurse. "You're safe, you're safe! You're in the hospital!"

Levy wouldn't stop thrashing or screaming. Tears streamed down her face, soaking her hair and her pillows.

"Give me the mask, we have to calm her down!"

Levy felt someone put a mask over her nose and mouth and she slowly felt her strength leaving her. After a minute she was calmed enough that the nurses restraining her let go and took a step back. And then she was asleep again.

"Is she…all right?" asked Gajeel from the corner of the room. He had been asked by the nurses to stay back if she woke up in a panic. He was too strong, and right now she was too weak to stand up to that, no matter how gentle he promised to be.

"She will be, Mr. Redfox. She's been through a lot of trauma, but there wasn't any brain damage or any serious injur…well, besides…"

"I understand," said Gajeel gruffly. He sat back down and stared out the window, which overlooked Fairy Hills. He had been staring out the window a lot over the past few days.

"Her waking up so soon after the incident is a very good sign, Mr. Redfox," said a nurse. "It shows just how much she wants to be here with you."

Gajeel didn't respond, but he hoped that nurse was right. Levy had been in really bad shape. Three of her ribs and her nose had been broken, her eye and several other parts of her were deeply bruised, and her stomach…

The baby hadn't survived. Jose had been right. He had taken away something important from Gajeel before he even knew it existed. For Levy, though, it would be ten times worse. One hundred times worse. A thousand. Levy _had_ known. Levy had been the one to feel all the pain and all the dread. And now she was having nightmares.

Gajeel wished he could kill Jose and those idiot thugs a million times over. In increasingly more painful ways.

* * *

Sorry this went from kinda funny to super depressing. It'll get happy again, I promise. And I'm working on these depressing chapters as quickly as I can so we can get to the non-depressing stuff again.

Till next time!


	23. Where there is an ending

All right folks, here it is, the last chapter. I'm considering adding a bonus chapter (okay, I'm definitely adding a bonus chapter) set some time in the future. But for now, this is it. I'll be working on 'Arranged' (my other GajeelxLevy fic) again now that this one is done (again, though, look for the bonus chapter within the next couple days).

Thank you all so much for your support, and I hope you will enjoy all my future stories as well!

* * *

Levy had been consistently awake for a solid week now, but she wasn't talking. The only sound she made was a small whimpering sound when the tears started flowing. It was as if she was completely disassociated from the world.

The nurses had suggested that Gajeel bring her home and look after since there was nothing physically wrong with her that a little bit of rest wouldn't fix. They hoped a familiar, safe place would help her shift back to reality. Gajeel promised to bring her in straight away if her condition worsened.

Gajeel brought her to his home (since it was clean finally), so he could look after her without freaking out all the girls at Fairy Hills. He sent Lily after some of Levy's clothing and a few of her favorite books and some basic necessities, and built up the pillows on his own bed so Levy could sit up.

Levy let him place her into bed and cover her. She let him brush the hair from her face and kiss her cheek.

"I'll bring you some tea," said Gajeel. He wasn't really sure how to make tea, but he figured he'd give it a try.

After burning himself twice and breaking three cups, he finally got it right. Levy accepted the tea and drank it, but it was only a reflex. She didn't say a word or even look anywhere but straight ahead.

Gajeel wasn't sure what to do, so he just kept talking to her. "I'll have Bunny girl come around tomorrow and help you with a bath. And Lily'll cook, since well… Well, you know I can't." He smiled at her and rubbed her shoulder. "Here, I'll take your cup if you're done."

"Gajeel," said Lily from the doorway. Gajeel turned around, startled; he hadn't heard the cat return.

"Just put the stuff wherever for now."

"Fine, but can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Uh…" Gajeel looked at Levy, her expression impassive and unchanging.

"Just a second, it'll be fine." Gajeel sighed but agreed. He followed Pantherlily into the living room.

"It's really sweet that you're taking care of her like this, Gajeel. I mean it, it's nice to see even you are capable of warmth and compassion."

"Get to the point, Cat."

"What are you going to do if she doesn't snap out of this?"

The question hit Gajeel like a ton of bricks. He hadn't even imagined that was possible. He just assumed that one day she'd wake up from her trance and she'd be her old self again, happy and bubbly and full of way too much energy.

"Of course she'll wake up," said Gajeel, but he sounded uncertain.

"Gajeel, she's been through a lot! It's possible she _won't_ wake up. I really think you need to figure out what's going to happen if she doesn't."

"Listen, you damn cat, I don't think you get it. She's a thousand times stronger than this. My Levy _is going to wake up_."

"Gajeel…"

"Look, she's the only one that gives half a shit about me. If I give up on her, it's over. I can say goodbye to being worthy of her love. I'm already not worthy as it is. She _will_ wake up. Any day now. Any hour."

Lily looked at his friend with a kind expression. "You're really quite eloquent when you want to be aren't you."

"Yeah, but don't tell anyone."

* * *

Lucy came over the next day, accompanied as always by Natsu and Happy. Natsu sat and talked with Gajeel while Lucy arranged a bath for her best friend. Gajeel had warned Natsu to be on his best behavior, but it hadn't been necessary. Natsu was an idiot, but he knew when it was time to be serious. Levy was important to everyone, and there was no way he was going to ruin her recovery.

Gajeel even let Jet and Droy visit her every day, hoping that they might be able to bring her around since they knew her so much better than he did. They always left disappointed, but they never gave up.

Eventually, the rest of the guild made their appearances, each bringing a small gift for Levy; Gajeel's bedroom was becoming packed with cute little items and new books. Master Makarov was more deeply apologetic than anyone; he understood the magnitude of this more than anyone else, and he felt worse, considering _he_ had been the one to send Gajeel out on that crazy mission against the corrupt guild masters.

Gajeel spent his days tending to Levy's every need, leaving her side only when he was on a task for her, or when he needed to shower. He spent his nights next to her, holding her in his arms, whispering in her ear that he loved her, holding her tighter when he felt her awaken from a nightmare, shaking and cold against him.

Pantherlily brought Gajeel news from the guild, which he then shared with Levy, hoping something would spark her brain into normal functioning. After three weeks with no change in her demeanor, Gajeel finally began to worry. He consulted with the nurses, who ran more tests and did yet another check up, all of which produced the same result. Levy was fine physically, and her mind would return to her when she was ready.

* * *

Then one night, a week later, Gajeel woke to a soft voice in his ear and a hand on his cheek.

"Huh?" he said stupidly, waking up slowly.

"Gajeel…"

It was only a whisper, but it was the first word she had spoken in almost a month.

"Levy, holy shit, are you awake?"

"Gajeel, you're heavy." Levy pointed at his leg, which had moved over on top of hers at some point, and was now pinning her down.

"Oh, shit, sorry. But, you're awake, right? I'm not dreaming?" Gajeel propped himself up on his elbow, and stared down at tiny Levy. His free hand was in her hair, stroking the long blue strands.

"I'm awake. And Gajeel, I'm so sorry."

"No, no apologizing from you. You ain't done nothin' wrong. You went through a lot and needed to sleep a bit, that's all."

"No, not about that. About, I mean, I guess you know that…"

"It's all right. We can talk about that later."

"Just answer me one question." Gajeel nodded. "Would you have been happy if… if the baby had been born? Would you have been happy to be a father? And for me to be the mother of your child?"

In response, Gajeel kissed her deeply, more passionately than she had thought possible from him.

"Levy, we can try again anytime you'd like."

Levy grabbed hold of Gajeel, hugging him close to her and cried tears of happiness and sadness and hope until she fell asleep again.

And tomorrow she and Gajeel would wake again with all their bright future ahead of them.

* * *

I hope that's a happy enough ending. The bonus chapter will be set ten or so years in the future, I think, and who knows, if it interests me enough, I might make it a full fanfic at some point.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who read and enjoyed and reviewed! I'll be thanking you all again really soon, I hope.

Till the next fanfiction!

~Kahoko-chan


	24. Where there is a bonus chapter

Here's the promised bonus chapter. Be prepared for fluffy goodness!

So let me just say,thank you all for your wonderful, warm reviews! I couldn't have finished this without your compliments and enthusiasm! I'm sorry I didn't get to respond personally to everyone's comments, but believe me, every review was read and every review was more than welcome!

If you're interested at all in my other writing, here's a link to my fictionpress page: .com/u/785583/ which has an original story I'm working on (it's only two chapters in right now, but chapter three will be up within a day or so). Drop me a line on there if you'd like!

Also, random question: There's a Fairy Tail story on here that involves some of the guild members playing a game where they have to put down a finger each time they've done the sexual thing mentioned. (sorry, bad description). If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please tell me what it's called. It was hilarious, but I can't seem to find it again. (Thanks in advance).

All right, next is continuing Arranged, my other GajeelxLevy fic, so look forward to that in the next few days as well. I have a new chapter written, it just needs to be finalized.

* * *

"Levy! Levy, where are the kids?" called Gajeel. They had recently moved into a new house, one that fit their growing family, and now their three children were always out of sight.

"In their rooms, Gajeel. Help me out here, would you?"

Gajeel walked into the living room, where Levy, a very pregnant Levy, was struggling to pick herself up off the couch. Gajeel laughed, garnering a vicious glare from his wife, and he quickly shut up.

"Come on, up," he said, pulling her off the couch. The momentum carried her into his chest, bumping her nose hard on his sternum.

"Ow," she said cutely, rubbing at her nose.

"All right, it's time for some rest," said Gajeel. He scooped her up into his arms, and she giggled as he carried her up the steps to their bedroom.

"You're just afraid of my hormones, aren't you?" asked Levy, poking him in the chest.

"You're damn right I am. I remember the last three times," said Gajeel. His face showed pure fright.

Gajeel pushed open their bedroom door with his hip and laid Levy down on the bed. He covered her up and kissed her forehead.

"Papa," came a small voice from the doorway. "Papa, is mama all right?"

Gajeel turned to see his children standing there, huddled together, barely visible as they peered into their parents' room.

"Mama's fine," said Levy. She motioned for her children to come to her. The oldest, Rickon, was a tall boy of seven with his father's black hair and strong build, but his mother's kind eyes. Their middle child, Abigail, was five and small like her mother, though she too had her father's hair. And their youngest, Dru, who was four, was built like her father and even had his attitude, but she looked exactly like her mother. All three of them piled onto the bed next to Levy.

"What's wrong mama?" asked Abigail.

"Mama's just tired because of your new baby brother or sister."

"The one in your stomach, mama?" asked Dru.

"Yes Dru, the one that's in my stomach." Levy smiled at Gajeel pleadingly.

"All right you little punks, let's let your mama sleep for a while." Gajeel flexed his muscles and the two youngest grabbed onto his biceps, knowing a fun ride down the steps was in store for them. Rickon climbed off the bed and kissed his mother on her cheek.

"Feel better mama," he said and followed his father and sisters out.

"All my dear family," said Levy to herself, smiling as she nestled underneath the covers. She quickly fell asleep.

* * *

In the night, Levy dreamed. Every time she was pregnant, she dreamed this dream, but as soon as she gave birth, the dream went away. It was the dream she had had in Jose's dungeon. There was a hole in her stomach and blood. So much blood.

Levy woke in a sweat, a whimper on her lips.

"Shh, shh," whispered Gajeel behind her. She felt his reassuring hands slide across her swollen belly, and his soft kisses on the back of her neck. "That dream again?"

"Yeah," said Levy. Tears spilled over onto her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."

"No, it's fine. Just try to sleep again. I'm here, all right? I'm here."

Levy smiled amidst her tears, and settled her hand over Gajeel's. Finally, she went back to sleep.

* * *

The morning brought labor pains and breaking water and a frantic scramble around the house. Gajeel called down for Pantherlily, who lived with them still, to watch the kids while he took Levy to the hospital. Lily wished them luck as Gajeel ran off with Levy in his arms.

Seventeen excruciating hours later, Levy was spent and Gajeel was holding a tiny, baby girl with a tuft of bright blue hair on the top of her head.

"What're we gonna call her?" asked Gajeel. They had discussed it, of course, but they hadn't yet decided.

"I want to call her Nadia," said Levy suddenly.

"That's pretty," said Gajeel. "But why that name?"

"It was the first name that came to mind when I was pregnant for the first time. The time that didn't end well. I had just walked out of the hospital, and it just popped into my head. I looked it up later in one of my books. It means 'hope'. And I think that maybe it means I can move on from what happened if we use that name."

Gajeel smiled, proud of his tiny wife. "Do you wanna hold her?"

"Oh, give her here," said Levy happily. Gajeel handed over their newborn. "Little Nadia."

* * *

Everyone from the guild came eventually to visit Levy in the hospital and to meet baby Nadia. Jet and Droy were first on the scene, toting their wives along with them. Lucy and Natsu brought their two little ones along, and Bisca and Alzack brought all six of theirs. Gray and Juvia showed up too, though their twins were almost still newborns, and they thought it best to leave them home with a sitter. Evergreen wouldn't be caught dead having children, but she cooed all the same at Levy's when she and Elfman showed up. Mirajane and Fried came too, informing everyone that they would be having a baby too in about seven months' time.

Erza and Makarov came later, having just finished up some guild business. Wendy came after school with Romeo, Macao's son and current boyfriend. Gajeel poked fun at her and she blushed (they and Natsu had become close over time due to their shared dragon slayer nature, and Gajeel saw Wendy like a little sister).

Everyone else showed up too and everyone heaped congratulations and presents upon the happy family. At the end of the day, Lily brought the rest of the Redfoxes to the hospital to see their new baby sister. Everyone was so excited, though Rickon had been hoping for a brother. Gajeel sympathized, though just because his daughters were girls didn't mean he wasn't going to teach them to be super badasses like himself and their mother.

* * *

Three days later Levy came home and everyone started up their lives again. And they were happy. Levy loved her family so much it hurt sometimes, and she loved her friends and guild mates and their new house.

And while there were hard times and sad memories, she never forgot them, because they made the happy times and the happy memories all the more potent.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed it. And I hope it ended happily enough, considering the ending of the main story.

I love you all!

Till the next story!


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